Did The Messiah Descend From Heaven To Bring Hope?
by Anju Addams
Summary: If there is one thing that Junko Enoshima, student at Hope's Peak Academy, believes in, it is that Hope will always triumph over Despair. This is a belief she had held since the accident that took her memories of her childhood, and gave her a new outlook on life, a life that she wants to share with her friends at Hope's Peak, even in the face of the Tragedy. A Drabble Series.
1. Forgive

_**AN:**_ _So, I've been gone from for a while now, because I got burnt out of writing. To get me back into the groove, I decided to write a small series of drabbles for a talentswap AU I've been creating for DanganRonpa. None of these are in any sort of order and are generally just thrown around the timeline._

 _Also, they are all based around Junko Enoshima who in this universe is the Ultimate Hope instead of Makoto._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: All copyrighted materials belong to their respective creators and are not owned by me._

* * *

 ** _Did The Messiah Descend From Heaven To Bring Hope?_**

 ** _by Anju Addams_**

* * *

 _"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."_

 _\- Colossians 3:13_

* * *

 ** _Forgive_**

Hope.

To the girl named Junko Enoshima, that word meant so much. From the moment of her birth, to now, hope had been a part of her life. After all, without hope, she never would have survived that accident so many many years ago. Without hope, she would have been lost on the day she received news of her parent's murders. Without hope, she would have been distraught when her only sister vanished for years on end, or when her beloved Yasuke had been brutally killed by someone masquerading around as her own self.

Without hope, Junko would never have lived at all. So, with all her might, she believed. She believed, even when so many others fell into despair, in hope. At that time, people needed hope, she realised and with that hope, she met as many as she could, hoping herself that she could somehow save them. Perhaps she had or perhaps she hadn't saved anyone at all, she wondered sometimes. But it didn't matter, as long as she tried, as long as she hoped, she could save anyone, including those children she had met, on the rooftop of their own school, some time ago. Even when she'd woken up, trapped inside Hope's Peak Academy and forced to suffer through the Mutual Killing Game, she'd kept that feeling of hope deep in her heart.

And now here she was, facing down the one behind it all.

"So, my dearest darling sister. What do you think? Are you in Despair yet?" taunted the Mastermind, her blackened lips pulled up into a sinister smirk. "How does it feel, knowing your own sister is the one behind everything? You must feel pretty shitty right now, huh?"

At that moment, standing in that horrid room with the rest of the survivors, Junko Enoshima had no words. She wasn't really shocked, not at all, since she and the others had worked it out moments earlier, but the sight of Mukuro Ikubusa's freckled face taunting her from across the room had left her slightly speechless. The only thing she could really do was adjust the white hoodie she was wearing rather awkwardly, and avert her gaze to the floor.

"Hahaha!" Mukuro laughed, pushing the gaudy crown she was wearing, higher on her head. "Did I finally get to you? Perhaps I should have done this a long time ago." Suddenly a sinister glint entered her eyes and she leant across her podium. "It was me you know. The one who killed our parents I mean. Oh, and Yasuke as well. It was pretty hilarious actually. So, tell us all, just how are you feeling? Do you hate me yet? Do you want revenge? Well?"

"...give you."

The words were said so quietly and gently, that Mukuro thought she might have misheard them. "Care to repeat that?" the Ultimate Soldier turned Despair growled out.

Red locks of hair, bunched in ponytails, fluttered as Junko looked back up at her sister. Gazing at the girl in front of her, her vibrantly red eyes softened with love and a gentle, genuine smile spread across her lips.

"I forgive you." Junko Enoshima said. "For all of it. For everything that you have ever done. I forgive you."

Enraged, Mukuro slammed her white and black gloves into the podium. "Why!" she spat. "After all that, after all I did, that's all you can say? You forgive me!?" The despairing girl pointed a shaking finger at her twin sister.

"I HATE YOU!" she screamed. "I've always hated you, ever since you drove me away with your hope this and hope that bullshit! But, I saw the truth. Humans are disgusting, sick creatures that crave despair. That's why I gave them exactly what they wanted. That's why I want you to give me what I want! I want you to hate me, to despise me, to fall into despair!" She was panting now, face flushed with ecstasy. "So, why don't you?"

"Because you're my sister and I love you." came Junko's gentle reply as she absentmindedly fingered the cross around her neck. "Even then, the Lord says that we should forgive people of their transgressions. No matter what you have done, I can't hate you."

"You keep harping on and on about that stupid religious shit. You really do think you're some kind of messiah. How arrogant." Mukuro whined.

"No." responded Junko. "All I want to do is bring people hope. What's wrong with that? Without hope, what is the point of anything? But I promise you, I will save you and I will give you the hope you need."

"Disgusting." The Ultimate Despair sneered, turning towards the other students who had been watching the exchange quietly. "Do you think my stupid braindead sister is right? Don't you want to kill me in revenge, for all I've done?"

How dare you insult Junko-dono like that?" came the cry from the largest figure in the room, a seemingly overweight boy in a pair of wrestling shorts and a luchador mask. "I, Hifumi Yamada, Ultimate Martial Artist, owe my life to Junko-dono. Without her, I would have become a killer in my moment of weakness. She brought hope into my life once more!"

"Not exactly how I would have phrased it, but good points nonetheless." A purple haired girl in a thick purple sweater spoke up. Reaching up behind her ear with a blackened and burned hand, she pulled out a pencil and began to tap it against the side of her podium. "Junko has indeed helped us see hope and while we can't forgive you, you don't deserve to die. We should try and save you instead. In fact, it's given me a new idea for a book. I've written too many detective novels and murder mysteries, so it's time for a change of pace. I think a romantical story about hope is what the world needs right now."

"Kirigiri's right you know!" a red-headed looking punk shouted. "When I was small I always hoped that I would become a rockstar and look where I am now, Ultimate Idol, baby! So if Enoshima says to save you and to make you believe in hope, then I ain't got no beef 'bout it, see?"

From the podium next to him, came a long-suffering groan. "Why the hell do I have to put up with you lot? All I want is my fucking laptop back." The speaker was a young girl, with blue hair that hung around her in thick greasy curls. An orange smear of food was plastered across her lips and other strange stains were dotted about the simple black and white shirt and blue short-shorts she was wearing. "I don't really care one way or the other, I just want to finish my goddamn programming."

"Erm..." stuttered a nervous brown haired boy in a rather expensive looking suit. "Forgetting Sayaka for a minute, I think we can all agree that there won't be any more killing! We will save you and we will get out of this school!"

The tanned girl in the Hope's Peak Uniform, standing next to Junko spoke up next, her voice muffled around the donut she was snacking on. "Makoto's right! We've come this far and we can't give up now. I can't forgive you for what you did, but I know that Sakura would never have wanted me to kill you. Therefore..." she paused for a moment, reaching into her pocket and placing a thick pair of glasses onto her face. "We will save you! That is my final deduction!"

After that last declaration, the room became quiet as they all gazed at the mastermind seated on her podium. The silence was broken when the black haired girl let out a long sigh. "Well, I guess I lost," she said rather morosely. She fingered the large red button next to her. "I guess that means it's time for the ending. I'm not going to let you have the satisfaction of saving me, but, hey, you can go free." Mukuro turned to her red-headed sister. "Except you. This is your punishment as well."

The other students cried out in outrage. "Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing!?" Yamada cried. "Let Junko-dono go this moment!"

"No." Junko replied. "It's okay, I'm fine. I love my sister too much to leave her and I know she would never let you go if I lived. In any case, I want you to do something for me, can you promise that?" The remaining survivors all nodded one by one. "Good, I'm glad. But please, promise me you'll never give into Despair, promise me you'll help everyone you meet. Give the world hope."

"How cute." Mukuro mocked. "But it doesn't matter, you're going to-" She was cut off abruptly.

"Listen up!" Junko shouted, facing the camera attached to the nearby wall. "Every single one of you out there, everyone in the world, here my words. I know times must be tough and the days long and hard, but never give in. Hope is what the human race needs. Hope has always been there. Without it, could we have hoped to have survived, could we have hoped to see the future? No! Despair exists to be overcome, to be beaten. Time and again, the human race has felt despair, but we broke free with hope. Please.." she spoke in soft tones. "Have hope. Remember my words. As long as that is true, I will be immortal. I will exist in your hearts. You can't kill an idea."

"Heheheh. You really are some kind of messiah, aren't you? I always did wonder. Sacrificing yourself for humanity..." Mukuro said, ignoring the tearful agreements of her former classmates. "Anyway, it doesn't matter now. I lost and you won, so I guess it's game over for both of us. Well..." she slammed her hand down on the button in glee. "IT'S PUNISHMENT TIME!"

With a yank, both sisters were pulled away to their certain doom in an instant.

But, despite it all, through every horrid action that she had pulled on her, from being shot into space, or being smashed into the wall by a large crystal wrecking ball, Junko Enoshima continued to smile.

And when the large block that fell from above, landed atop her and crushed her into a fine gooey paste, Junko Enoshima was still smiling.

"I forgive you."

 ** _END_**


	2. Forgetful

_**AN:**_ _Thanks for the favourites! Please let me know how you liked the story with a review._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: All copyrighted materials belong to their respective creators and are not owned by me._

* * *

 ** _Did The Messiah Descend From Heaven To Bring Hope?_**

 ** _by Anju Addams_**

* * *

 _"I've a grand memory for forgetting."_

 _\- Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)_

* * *

 ** _Forgetful_**

Long strawberry blond hair waved through the windy autumn air as a young girl made her way across the campus of Hope's Peak Academy. As she walked past the fountain in the centre of the school's garden, a few passing by students turned to stare at her, some beginning to glare when they noticed her wearing the uniform that denoted her as a simple Reserve Course Student. Some of the more dramatic students swerved out of her way, putting a large amount of distance between them as if they believed she would have harmed them in some way. Still, with the advent of the continuing riots by most of the Reserve Course that were increasing in numbers and violent acts, they had a right to feel wary. Not that the girl seemed to notice, however, as she gently continued on her merry way, a happy smile plastered on her face.

Very soon, the other stragglers had vanished from her sight, and she was all alone. Abruptly the girl stopped, looked around, and then scratched her head in confusion.

"Oh..." she sighed. "I forgot to ask someone where the old school building was." She continued to scan the area for any sign of life until she noticed the lump sprawled rather ungracefully on a nearby bench. "Guess I'll ask them," she said as she walked over. "Excuse me!"

The lump twitched and with a groan, pulled itself up, revealing a short pink-haired girl in an oversized lab coat and a pair of coke-bottle glasses. It made her look rather comical as she turned to stare dumbly at the person who had interrupted her nap.

"Wuzzat?" the groggy girl asked. "I was just having a nap...I think?" The blonde haired girl who had woken her up giggled lightly.

"I'm sorry," she smiled brightly. "You're the first person I saw around here and I needed help, so I thought I would wake you up." the Reserve Course student explained. The other girl sleepily blinked up at her through her enormous glasses, making her resemble an owl. Then with a yawn and a stretch, she stood up from her makeshift bed.

"It's OK," spoke the pink haired student. "What was it you wanted? I can help...I think?" Happy that she had found such a nice person, the blonde haired girl's face broke out into a wide grin as she readied herself to ask her question. She suddenly frowned when she noticed something.

"Oh...I can't remember what I wanted," she mumbled. "Well it can't have been that important!" she laughed it off. The pink haired girl was still blinking at her owlishly until she chuckled too.

"Well, you can wait with me until you remember." She held her hand out to the Reserve Course student who shook it with a surprisingly strong grip. "I'm Chiaki Nanami, Ultimate Neurologist." she introduced herself. "What's your name?"

"Oh, I'm-" A sharp beeping cut the blonde girl off, and Chiaki reached into her lab coat pocket and pulled out a blinking pager.

"Noo..." Chiaki moaned. "I'm already late!?" she turned to look at the girl who had woken her up. "We'll have to talk later, but we have to rush." Reaching one hand out, she grasped the blonde girls uniform and raced off, dragging the girl behind her. Bemused, the blonde girl could only watch as she was dragged across the school until they reached the apartment where the student dorms were held. Hopping up the stairs, two at a time, they eventually came to a non-descript door that Chiaki forced open, stepping into the room.

Inside was a dark and musty space, that smelled thickly of dust and sweat. The only light in the place came from the dim glow of the computers spread across the room in various places. As Chiaki shut the door behind them, panting heavily, two shadowy figures turned towards the pair. The tallest one, the one that was standing, stepped into the light revealing an older looking woman with thick brown haired tied into a waist-length ponytail and a kind smile on her beautiful face. She was also wearing a large brown winter sweater that made her look quite motherly.

"Having another one of your naps again, Chiaki?" she teased the girl mischievously. "Who's your friend here? You don't normally bring other people around unless you count Hinata..." Though the room was dark, the blonde haired girl noticed a small blush appear on Chiaki's cheeks.

"Ms. Yukizome!" Chiaki cried in embarrassment. "It's not like that, she's just looking for something...I think?" With a laugh, the brown haired woman, Yukizome, waved her off.

"Sorry, sorry, you know I can't help teasing you," she answered, turning towards the blonde haired female. "In any case, it's nice to meet a new friend of Chiaki's, she doesn't tend to have many. I'm Chisa Yukizome." she announced with a jaunty wave. "Ultimate Therapist." The last person in the room, a young girl sitting in front of a computer screen, and dressed only in a food-stained, sweaty white and black shirt and pink panties, scoffed.

"Who cares," she bemoaned, shifting her greasy blue tresses away from her eyes. "We've got important work to do, Chiaki's late again, and we don't need some brain-dead asshole distracting us." A sharp rap to the head by Yukizome had her moaning in pain. "Goddammit, why do you always do that!?" she teared up.

"Because, Sayaka Maizono," Chisa began sternly. "I'm your therapist, it's my job to make sure you don't antagonise the other students." she turned back to the pair standing in front of her. "I'm sorry about her. She really doesn't like people for some reason. Guess it comes with being an Ultimate Programmer. By the way," she questioned. "I can't help but notice that you're a Reserve Course Student. No offence, but you don't normally come onto the campus. Is something wrong?"

"I don't think anything's wrong, but I can't remember what I wanted. That seems to be happening a lot recently. Well, from what I remember anyway." the girl dressed in the Reserve Course uniform laughed. Chisa gave another gentle smile.

"I'm sorry about asking that," the Therapist told her. "But ever since that girl, Kuzuryu, went missing and the student council turned up dead, the Reserve Course students have become increasingly violent. It's as if someone is riling them up." she gestured to the computer displays behind her and Sayaka. "That's why we're working hard to finish our project."

Chiaki let out a sigh from behind. "Yes, we're quite desperate at this point. Even my own classmates have been weird lately." she shivered and nervously adjusted her glasses. "Even though they act the same, there's something about them that feels fake. That's why I've not been going to class lately."

Now the blonde haired girl looked curious. "Project?" she asked.

"That's right," Chisa explained. "Using Chiaki's detailed studies of the human brain, Sayaka's programming skills and my experience as a therapist and a bit of coding I do on the side, we're working on a unique device that will one day be a state-of-the-art therapy machine. With it, we hope to cure countless people worldwide. In fact, quite a few famous individuals have already shown interest in it. One such person, the new head of the Towa Foundation, Monaca, is the person who provides our funding. With her help, one day, the Neo-World Program will be complete."

Chiaki let out a mournful sigh. "It's not going so well though. We've been trying to develop an artificial intelligence capable of guiding those who need the program, but what we have right now isn't enough. We really need something unique, something no-one can predict. But I don't think we can do it..."

"Don't give up hope." the Reserve Course girl said, making the three turn to her curiously. "You should never give up hope. One day, something will come your way, something unexpected that will change everything, you'll see. I believe you can do it, so you should too. Believe in Hope."

The room was silent for a few minutes as the others continued to stare at her in amazement. Chiaki recovered first. "You're right. We shouldn't give up now, especially when people need us. But just who are you anyway? I still don't have your name..."

"I don't know." the blonde girl shrugged. "My memories have been very funny lately. I can't remember much."

"Hmmm..." Chikai thought out loud. "If I could have a look at your brain, I could probably help with that, I think? Still though, can you remember your name?"

"Ryoko."

"Huh?"

"That's my name." the blonde girl smiled. "I remembered it. My name is Ryoko Otonashi."

 ** _END_**

* * *

 ** _Notes:_**

 _Timeline_

 _Takes place at the same point as DanganRonpa 0 in canon, meaning that the Kamukura Project, the Proto-Killing Game and the Despairification of Class 77-B have already happened. Currently, the Reserve Course students are rioting against the entirety of Hope's Peak Academy._

 _Ryoko Otonashi_

 _Junko Enoshima's alternate personality, caused by the memory loss inflicted on her by Mukuro Ikubusa. In terms of appearance, imagine canon Ryoko with Junko's blonde hair and blue eyes, and a Reserve Course uniform._

 _Chiaki Nanami_

 _Still a member of Class 77-B and the only one to escape falling into Despair, an event she is completely unaware of. Therefore, she is still alive and will go on to join the Future Foundation as a branch head._

 _Chisa Yukizome_

 _A therapist instead of a teacher, who never met Class 77-B and who was not close to Munakata. Thus, as a therapist, she escaped Mukuro's plans and was spared from being driven to Despair. She will one day join the Future Foundation as a real loyal member and not as a mole for Despair._

 _Sayaka Maizono_

 _A programmer who is often also called the Ultimate Slob due to her lazy nature. She is rude, callous and hates people. Ironically, she will survive the Mutal Killing Game and go on to join the Future Foundation as a branch member._

 _Neo World Program_

 _The same exact program from canon, with the exception of its creators and the fact that there is no Chiaki Nanami AI. Instead, there is an AI version of another character, who will be revealed later. I dropped a few hints in this chapter, and you can give it a guess if you'd like._

 _The Towa Foundation and Monaca_

 _In the last chapter, I had Junko reminisce about a bunch of children she met atop the roof of their school. You're now starting to see the impact of that meeting, and Monaca will be showing up in a later chapter._


	3. Fair

_**AN:** Parts of this chapter have been re-edited to fit within the new direction of this story. These include dialogue, the chapter quote and the title._

 _Thanks for the favourites! Please let me know how you liked the story with a review._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: All copyrighted materials belong to their respective creators and are not owned by me._

* * *

 ** _Did The Messiah Descend From Heaven To Bring Hope?_**

 ** _by Anju Addams_**

* * *

 _"_ _These men ask for just the same thing, fairness, and fairness only. This, so far as in my power, they, and all others, shall have."_

 _\- Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)_

* * *

 ** _Fair_**

"Ah, so that's how it is." came the voice of the only inhabitant in the empty classroom. "Not too hard."

The owner of that voice, one Junko Enoshima brushed a few red bang away from her face as she continued to study the book in front of her. It was an important time for Hope's Peak Academy because of the upcoming seasonal test that all the students were required to take. A few of the more unscholarly members of the school had suddenly begun panicking, organising study sessions to make sure they wouldn't fall behind due to all the classes they had missed. While Junko wasn't one of those people, she tended to receive some of the highest grades in her class, alongside the Ultimate Writing Prodigy, Kyoko Kirigiri and more bizarrely, the Ultimate Donut Lover, Aoi Asahina, she still liked to stay ahead.

In terms of Asahina, how Ultimate Donut Lover came to be an actual title, was still a mystery to most of the student body and the faculty.

To Junko though, it didn't matter, after all, studying for her test was more important than wondering over some of the more weirder talents that they allowed at the Academy. She'd have more time to think it over later when she returned back to the dorm room she shared with Mukuro. Speaking of Mukuro, the girl seemed to be spending more and more time outside of the room and less time with Junko. Again, Junko didn't mind, her sister had probably just got her first lover or something, especially with the way she'd been glancing at some of the members of Class 77-B.

"Junko Enoshima."

Suddenly, the quiet atmosphere of the room was broken by an apathetic sounding voice, that would have had any normal person jumping out of their seat when they heard it. Unlike them though, Junko barely reacted at all, only turning around in her seat to see the speaker. She broke out into a grin when she recognised just who it was.

"Izuru!" Junko greeted. "You came back!"

The tall individual standing in front of her, dressed in an impeccably clean black suit and pencil skirt was none other that the apparent 'Ultimate Hope' Izuru Kamukura, someone that Junko had met a few weeks ago after she'd learned of the Kamukura Project that the school board had been creating. Apparently, with the help of the mysterious Ultimate Neurologist, a team of researchers had been able to create a person holding various artificial talents, dubbing them the 'Ultimate Hope' in the process. Therefore, Junko, whose love for Hope was second to none, had been exceedingly curious, leading her to break into the underground secret laboratory to meet the girl. While their first meeting had been cut a bit short, with Kamukura proclaiming her and her hope speech as 'boring', Junko had attempted to meet with her at least once a day, until Kamukura had essentially fallen off the radar.

And now here she was again, still dressed in her suit and skirt with her long blondish white hair falling down to her feet. Even the pair of perpetual blush marks that covered her cheeks were still there, having not even faded in the slightest.

"Hmmm...I would have thought that was obvious." Kamukura stated in the most monotone voice possible. "In any case, my reason for being here is simple. During my absence, I spent the time observing the other students of this school. As predicted, they were boring. Not one of them piqued my interest at all. In that time, I came to a conclusion." she paused. "Junko Enoshima, I find you...curious."

"Eeh?" Junko cried, tilting her head to the side. Could it be that Kamukura was finally accepting her message of Hope? "But, why?"

Raising a whitened eyebrow, Kamukura's dull eyes looked into her own. "Isn't it obvious? You are a strange individual, Junko Enoshima. You care for Hope so much, you make it part of your every living moment. So, why? Do you truly care for Hope that much?" she spoke. Junko's eyes widened momentarily at the unexpected question before she broke out into an even wider grin than before.

"Of course, I do!" Junko began. "Hope is something that I've always felt, it's that warm fuzzy feeling inside yourself! It spreads through your body, making you feel all tingly inside, with your heart swelling up with pure joy! That feeling, that passion! I could not live without it! No one else should either!" the redhead finished her speech with a smile of great happiness that lit up the room.

Kamukura studied her for what seemed like hours, gazing deep into her very soul. Eventually, she spoke up again. "But Hope cannot exist without Despair. Even you should know that. If humans could not feel sadness then the world would be even more boring that it is now." she sighed. "How utterly droll."

Junko continued to smile happily. "Of course! Even I know that, it's just that I want to help everyone I can. Even if I can't save everyone, I just have to try and save as many as I can, that's my goal. To bring as much happiness to as many people as possible. Sure, there are people I can never save or even help, but at least I can give it a go right?"

"Junko Enoshima...the fairest girl," the so-called 'Ultimate Hope' began. "Perhaps what they say about you is true. Maybe you are some sort of saint."

Junko waved her away. "No, I don't think so. I'm not doing this for any selfish reasons, I don't want people to glorify me or anyone to give me money or fame. I just want to help, that's all. I don't want any attention for that."

Kamukura shook her head and began for the classroom entrance. "Is that not the very definition of a saint then? You are indeed a strange individual, Junko Enoshima. You and that other girl."

"Other girl?" Junko wondered out loud. "Who's that?"

"No one important."

 _ **END**_

* * *

 ** _Notes:_**

 _Timeline_

 _Takes place a few months before the last chapter, and a few weeks after Junko met Kamukura in canon. The events of the Proto-Killing Game have not happened yet, though Mukuro is setting it up to take place soon._

 _Izuru Kamukura_

 _Originally a Reserve Course Student who was selected to become the new 'Ultimate Hope'. Except for the fact that I flipped the gender and gave her white hair, she is exactly the same as in canon. No differences, except a fascination for both Junko and Mukuro. It's pretty clear, that she's not Hinata in this universe, who, by the way, is an Ultimate in a relationship with Chiaki, but someone else instead. Who? Well, there's only two other named Reserve Course Students, and both are girls. It's so obvious, that I'm not even going to say. But, you can tell me in a review though._

 _Junko Enoshima_

 _A young girl who wishes honestly and truthfully to help as many as she can. Some people would even consider her a saint-like person, and this is what I was going for in the original version. I've changed her nature slightly to a more down-to-earth girl who can feel emotions like a regular person. For an example of her personality, she's more like Naegi than Komeada now and is completely on the side of good. Erased as part of the retcon are her 'Hope Plan' and the idea that she cannot feel anything other than happiness._

 _Compared to her canon counterpart, who I always say as a representation of the Antichrist, this version of Junko bares some resemblance to Jesus with her sacrifice at the end of the first chapter, a reference towards the crucifixion and death of Christ._


	4. Friends

_**AN:** A good length chapter here! Not even in Junko's POV this time._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: All copyrighted materials belong to their respective creators and are not owned by me._

* * *

 ** _Did The Messiah Descend From Heaven To Bring Hope?_**

 ** _by Anju Addams_**

* * *

 _"Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend - or a meaningful day."_

 _\- Dalai Lama XIV (1935-)_

* * *

 _ **Friends**_

Makoto Naegi was not someone who would consider himself an interesting person by any stretch of the imagination. Sure, his family owned one of the largest conglomerates in the world and he'd been inducted into Hope's Peak Academy as the Ultimate Affluent Prodigy, but that was it really.

Even then, most of the success he'd had with his families' company came from the odd form of luck that seemed to happen to him only. Because of that, every bad turn that he had, and there were a lot of those, would turn out to have a large impact on the company, nearly always positive. So, in his own mind, Makoto privately felt that maybe, just maybe, he hadn't deserved his talent.

But, here he was, actually attending the famous school. Over the last few months, he'd met with his classmates, who he could honestly say were some of the weirdest people he'd ever known, just as much as his own sister.

And now, just as his teacher had announced, there was another one.

She was definitely a winner in the looks department, he thought. At first glance, she'd looked like a glamour model that had stepped out of the pages of one of his sister's magazines, though she didn't appear to be wearing any makeup and her clothes were rather homely, only consisting of a white hoodie imprinted with a capital H, a short pink mini skirt and white boots. In fact, it was her long luxurious red hair, tied up in pigtails, and the beautifully kind smile on her face that made her look downright angelical.

Makoto was sure that if he was any other man, he would have fallen for her instantly. Still, in his eyes, there was only one girl for him, even if she seemed to ignore his very existence.

"Class, I'd like you to meet Junko Enoshima," The teacher spoke up at last, breaking Makoto out of his thoughts. "She's been in hospital for a while due to some…circumstances," he hesitated. "But I like you all to make her feel welcome and feel at home," The man turned towards Junko. "Would you like to say a few words Enoshima?"

"Yes, I would very much like to, thank you," she spoke gently, smiling all the while. With a short polite bow, she continued speaking. "It's so nice to meet you all at last. My name is Junko Enoshima and I'm the Ultimate Analyst. I hope we can get along."

The teacher, and a few of the other students, including Makoto, clapped briefly after she finished. "Thank you for that wonderful introduction, Enoshima," the teacher said, glancing at his wristwatch. "Now class, since we have a new student, I'm going to be generous and allow you a short break to introduce yourselves to Enoshima. Afterwards, we'll get right back to work. Are we all clear?"

"Yes!" the entire room parroted. Satisfied, the teacher strode back to his seat as some of the more excitable students headed towards the front. Makoto didn't bother moving, he was at the front already anyway.

The first person to make their way up to Junko Enoshima was a brown skinned girl dressed in the standard Hope's Peak Uniform unlike almost everyone else in the classroom. She lunged forward, grasping Junko's hand in her own, shaking it viciously. Another pair of students, a tanned, slightly muscular white haired girl and a tall boy with wild hair dressed in a baseball outfit came up behind her.

"Asahina," the muscular girl spoke up. "Perhaps you should give Enoshima her arm back now."

The girl flinched back as if stung, pulling her hand away from Junko's. "Sorry about that," she apologised. "Sometimes I forget my manners! Hehehe!" She stopped for a moment giving the red head a cute wink. "Anyway, it's so fantastic to meet you Junko! My name's Aoi Asahina, but my friends just call me Hina. Most of the time anyway," she continued glancing over at the muscular girl. "So you're the Ultimate Analyst, right? That sounds so cool! I myself am the Ultimate Donut Lover!"

Makoto watched as Asahina introduced herself, reminiscing about the time that he had met her. They had become good friends but he, and all his classmates could agree, the girl was a tad overenthusiastic, sometimes to the point of tiring out anyone around her. Not only that, but the girl was incredibly ditzy often coming up with outlandish statements or outright forgetting things. Then there was her talent, Ultimate Donut Lover. Sure, Hope's Peak Academy had, in its long tenure, had weird talents before, none of them had been as strange as whatever 'Ultimate Donut Lover' was. While Asahina was literally never seen anywhere without her favoured snack, was it really that much to warrant a place at Hope's Peak?

Thinking about it made his head hurt, so he settled back to watching the other girl introduce herself. With a firm grip, the muscular girl shook Junko's hand once before releasing it with a sharp nod towards the girl. "Sakura Oogami." she spoke tersely. "Ultimate Moral Compass. I trust that you will follow the rules at this Academy, hmm?"

Makoto shivered in his seat. As she'd introduced herself, Sakura Oogami, the Ultimate Moral Compass, was every bit as scary as ever. Before she'd even come to the school, she'd been infamous for her strict nature during middle school that had, along with her body form, led her to be nicknamed 'The Ogre'. Sakura seemed to take it in stride, however, quickly become her Class President. Even here at Hope's Peak, she'd taken up that role again, making sure that their entire class did not get up to too much mischief. While they'd quickly learned that she was normally a gentle and kind individual, no one had dared risk upsetting the girl due to the rumour that Sakura had once been a professional martial artist before she had stopped for some reason. It was clear that she did actually keep up the training, especially with her rippling muscles, so no-one actually wanted to cross her.

Deep in thought, Makoto missed Junko's reply, only going back to watch them when the wild-haired boy introduced himself. "Wassup, Junko-chi!" He said, adjusting his baseball cap. "Name's Yasuhiro Hagakure, but you can call me Hiro. You've probably already guessed it, but I'm the Ultimate Baseball Star. Don't mind the Ogre here, she's actually real nice!"

Out of all the students currently in the classroom, Yasuhiro was probably one of the more weird ones. He was something of a celebrity due to the often vicious baseball tournaments he had participated in, where he and his team beat the competition with ease, winning every match. Due to spending most of his life playing his favourite sport, Yasuhiro had often missed school leading him to be held back several times. By the time he had been inducted into Hope's Peak Academy, he was twenty years old, far older than any of the other students there, leaving him somewhat outcast. It wasn't until Asahina and Sakura approached him, did the rest of the class welcome him into their fold.

"What do you like to do, Junko?" Asahina questioned the girl hopping up and down, making her ponytail, which was shaped like a question mark for some reason, wiggle in the air. "Do you play any sports or stuff?" Now, Makoto was interested.

"Hmmm..." Junko looked at Asahina curiously. "Not really, I spend most of my time trying to help others," she explained, before closing her eyes and resting her hands over her heart. "It feels nice to help others. I want everyone in the world to be as happy as I am. That's why I try to spread Hope wherever I go." she finished. Asahina looked as if she was going to say something else when a cough interrupted them. All four of them, plus Makoto, turned to see the interrupter.

"You're still a regular old Anne of Green Gables aren't you?" spoke the girl with the long lavender hair and a dark purple sweater. From behind her, a feminine looking brown haired boy decked out in a 'Demon Angel Pretty Pudgy Princess' shirt and a pair of plain cream shorts spoke up.

"I think she's more of a Kafuka Fuura..." he trailed off. The lavender haired girl nodded sagely as though it was a serious suggestion.

"Weren't they the same person anyway?" she mused, turning to look at Junko "I can't believe I've been able to meet you again. I don't know if you remember but, I'm Kyoko Kirigiri," she introduced herself, holding up a hand. Makoto flinched slightly in his seat. Every time he saw the horrific scars and burn marks, he couldn't help but feel queasy. Junko seemed to pay it no mind, easily taking Kyoko's hand in her own with a grin. "My talent is the Ultimate Writing Prodigy, thanks to you that is." Kyoko finished.

The boy introduced himself as well. "Chihiro Fujisaki, Ultimate Fanfic Creator."

Makoto remembered those two well. While he didn't know much about them, he knew that the pair were kind of a big deal in the literary world, which was probably why they stuck together. Out of the two however, it was Kyoko who was more famous, especially since she was the daughter of Jin Kirigiri, the current Headmaster of Hope's Peak. Unlike her father however, Kyoko had decided to follow her families tradition of becoming a detective before a mistake she had made on her very first case had led to the injuries she now sported on both hands. After a brief stint in hospital, the girl had promptly quit her amateur sleuthing and become a writer instead. She certainly had the talent for it, seeing as how her first novel 'The Rose Detective' had shot her straight to stardom, launching a successful series and the label of the 'Modern Day Conan-Doyle'. Not only that, but she knew Enoshima?

Like Kyoko, he didn't know Chihiro well, just that the boy was famous in internet circles for the countless pieces of work he had written for nearly every fictional series imaginable. He was also a hardcore Otaku to the extreme and had once admitted that he like to dress up in female cosplay from time to time. Makoto could see why the boy did it. He looked so feminine already, no-one would probably be able to tell the difference. While he watched the interactions, Junko spoke up again.

"I do remember you..." she told Kyoko. "I met you in hospital years ago, right? It's nice to see you doing so well. I'm so glad you took my words to heart!" Kyoko shook her head.

"No, I'm just glad you were there that day. Without you, well, I cannot imagine what I would have done..." she trailed off before awkwardly scooting backwards with Chihiro. "It's been nice seeing you again, Junko. I hope we can spend some time together soon." Asahina, Sakura and Yasuhiro also moved away, saying their goodbyes, letting another trio of people surround the new girl.

The first of the newcomers was a large boy dressed in a pair of wrestling shorts and a similarly themed mask. Despite his size, his muscular physique was clearly visible. On the other hand, the second newcomer was his total opposite, a pale girl with short dark hair dressed, rather strangely, in a gothic Victorian style swimsuit with a matching black swimming skirt and even a cap. The last member of the group was a tall scary looking boy with slicked back brown and black hair, wearing a white suit with a similar level of smartness to the one Makoto was currently wearing.

"Greetings Junko-dono!" cried the large wrestler. "I am the stupendous Hifumi Yamada, the Ultimate Martial Artist! Perhaps we could have a match someday?" From next to him, the swimsuit-clad girl scoffed.

"Don't be so stupid, moron." she scolded Hifumi. "A brute like you would probably knock her down in one punch." With a sinister smile, she introduced herself to Junko. "Taeko Yasuhiro, Ultimate Swimming Pro. No relation to that baseball idiot over there." The last member of their group, the tall scary boy sized Junko up.

"Mondo Owada, Ultimate Gambler. Remember it," he grunted before moving away, completely uninterested.

Those three were the students Makoto avoided the most. Hifumi, despite being talented in various martial arts such as Taekwondo, he preferred to theme himself around American wrestlers. He was also a huge Otaku, a trait that brought him close to Chihiro. It wasn't odd to find the two boys discussing their favourite anime in some corner of the classroom. Taeko was also kind of scary too, despite only being a swimmer. She could suddenly flip between calm and composed, then absolute rage. She was still a brilliant swimmer though, with her even being scouted out for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Makoto also stayed out of Mondo Owada's way as well, since the boy seemed to have his anger switch permanently pressed down. He wondered if it had something to do with the gambler's brother who had died in an accident a few years ago, an incident for which he blamed himself for.

Without giving Junko anytime to greet them, Taeko moved away, Hifumi scurrying behind her. To her credit, Junko didn't seem phased, walking over to another student, a blond haired boy in glasses wearing a pair of skinny jeans, a black shirt and a choker around his neck. Makoto also knew that if he looked closer, he would be able to see several lip rings and ear studs on the boy's face. As Junko moved closer, the blonde boy stopped his task of trying to get a Sukeban looking girl in pigtails and glasses away from him.

"Hello!" Junko greeted the pair. "Who are you two?"

"Are you speaking to me commoner?" said the blonde one. "Can you not recognise me? I am Byakuya Togami, Ultimate Fashionista." Looking exceedingly uncomfortable, the delinquent girl stammered out a warning.

"S-Stay away from my Togami!" she cried. "O-Or I'll get my gang on you! I-I'm the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader Toko Fukawa you know!"

Makoto ignored the pair. Those were two people he had no desire of getting to know, wrapped up in their own bizarre little world. Even now they were glowering over at Junko, who despite looking as cheerful as ever, moved away to the last pair of students in the classroom apart from himself. The two boys, one with spiky black hair dressed up in a magician's robe and hat, the other with orange hair, goatee and a punkish looking suit, both looked up at her as she approached.

"Good day!" cheered the magician. "I am the famous Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Ultimate Clairvoyant. I could forsee your arrival here today!" The orange one rolled his eyes at Kiyotaka's speech.

"Sure you did." he drawled. "Name's Leon Kuwata. Ultimate Idol. You've probably heard of me."

Makoto certainly had. Like Kyoko and Chihiro, and probably Yasuhiro, Kiyotaka and Leon were famous. Kiyotaka had received certain scorn after it became public that he, the grandson of a prominent Japanese Prime Minister, would not be following in the family's footsteps, instead become a stage magician famous for his medium sessions in which he claimed to be able to see the future and speak to the dead. While Makoto didn't believe any of that for a minute, the boy was seemingly able to draw an audience to him. Leon also had that talent as well. The punk looking boy had shot to fame after a viral video of his spellbinding karaoke session had become a worldwide phenomenon. Soon the boy had become an international idol, a dream he had apparently held since childhood.

He continued to mull the facts over in his head before a voice called out to him. "Hey there," said Junko Enoshima who was now standing in front of him. "Nice to meet you." She held out her hand.

He took it. "Makoto Naegi, Ultimate Affluent Prodigy, Welcome to Hope's Peak."

"So, are you the last student then?" she asked. "I was sure there were more..."

Makoto turned slightly in his seat, pointing to the empty seat to his left. "Sayaka's not here, but she never comes anyway. I think I'm the only person whose seen her at all."

The person he was talking about, the Ultimate Programmer, Sayaka Maizono, was an old friend of his. Despite being a student at the school, she preferred to stay in her dorm room working on her new projects, not even leaving to feed herself. It was only with Makoto's help, and the help of the Ultimate Neurologist and the Ultimate Therapist was the girl able to function at all. Despite all those flaws, Makoto couldn't help but have a crush on the girl. Under all that crust, sweat and grease, she was very pretty. But he couldn't think about that now.

"There's another person missing too..." he continued, before the classroom door slid open, revealing the very student he was about to talk about.

Mukuro Ikubusa. The Ultimate Soldier.

"Sorry I'm late." she chuckled. "I was busy and I had to leg it o-!" the girl abruptly stopped, her jaw hanging open as she did a double take. Makoto had never seen the normal composed student so flustered.

Next to him, Junko chuckled. "Suprise, Mukuro! Your twin sister is here as well!" Makoto's mind reeled. Twin sister!?

Mukuro's face turned ashen. "B-But you're..." she spluttered. "You're supposed to be in hospital!" Junko nodded.

"They finally let me go! I didn't tell you because I wanted to surprise you. Now we can be together longer!" From the way she was leaning against the wall, Mukuro looked ready to collapse. She murmured out an apology before she bolted down the corridor.

"Huh..guess she's more excited that I realised!" Junko cheered. "It's so nice to see her again."

 ** _END_**

* * *

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Timeline_

 _Takes place about two months before Chapter 3 around June. Since school in Japan starts in April, and Junko is late, I went with this time. The Kamukura Project has not yet begun._

 _Anne of Green Gables_

 _A fictional character whose real name is Anne Shirley from the famous book 'Anne of Green Gables' published in 1908 by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Anne is characterised by her exceedingly positive outlook on life and her caring nature. The book series is very popular in Japan, where it is known as 'Akage no Anne.' It even has it's own anime series!_

 _Kafuka Fuura_

 _A fictional character from the black comedy manga/anime series 'Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei' about a Despair-ridden teacher who often tries to commit suicide. Kafuka Fuura is a student in his class and is his exact opposite, being a Hope obsessed lunatic to the extreme. At the end of the manga, it is revealed that she is actually the teacher's lover who has been dead for years with her ghost has been possessing the people her organs were donated to, aka the entire class. She and the teacher go on to marry. Her name is actually a pen-name, given to her by the school therapist, based on Kafuka's favourite author, Franz Kafka._

 _Her real name is then revealed to be Akagi An, or more literally, 'Akage no Anne'. This is why Kyoko says that she and Anne Shirley were the same person._

 _Talents of Class 78_

 _I've already introduced them in the above chapter so this is just a list for ease of access. Where's the 78th Class's Ultimate Lucky Student and Ultimate Detective? Who knows...there may not even be one... Anyway, here we go:_

 _Makoto Naegi: Ultimate Affluent Prodigy_

 _Junko Enoshima: Ultimate Analyst/Ultimate Hope_

 _Sayaka Maizono: Ultimate Programmer_

 _Aoi Asahina: Ultimate Donut Lover_

 _Sakura Oogami: Ultimate Moral Compass_

 _Leon Kuwata: Ultimate Idol_

 _Kiyotaka Ishimaru: Ultimate Clairvoyant_

 _Byakuya Togami: Ultimate Fashionista_

 _Towa Fukawa: Ultimate Biker Gang Leader_

 _Taeko Yasuhiro/Celestia Ludenberg: Ultimate Swimming Pro_

 _Chihiro Fujisaki: Ultimate Fanfic Creator_

 _Kyoko Kirigiri: Ultimate Writing Prodigy_

 _Hifumi Yamada: Ultimate Martial Artist_

 _Mondo Owada: Ultimate Gambler_

 _Yasuhiro Hagakure: Ultimate Baseball Star_

 _Mukuro Ikubusa: Ultimate Soldier/Ultimate Despair_


	5. Feelings

_**AN:**_ _Parts of this chapter have been re-edited to fit within the new direction of this story. This includes some dialogue._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: All copyrighted materials belong to their respective creators and are not owned by me._

* * *

 ** _Did The Messiah Descend From Heaven To Bring Hope?_**

 ** _by Anju Addams_**

* * *

 _"_ _A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone's feelings unintentionally._ _"_

 _\- Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)_

* * *

 _ **Feelings**_

"It's nice to see you again Junko," a voice cut through the dim light of the office. "How have you been?" The girl in question, lying down on a neat red couch, inclined her head towards the speaker, a close friend of hers, the Ultimate Therapist, Chisa Yukizome. "I heard what happened," the woman continued sadly. "I just want you to know how sorry I am."

She was talking about the Ryoko Otonashi incident, when through some unknown means, Junko's memory had been altered drastically, making her believe that she was a different person entirely. She'd been left to wander Hope's Peak Academy, terrorised by another girl who had taken to dressing up in her guise and tormenting her. Though Ryoko had found friendship and guidance from the Ultimate Neurologist, Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Programmer, Sayaka Maizono and Chisa, she'd still struggled against her imposter. Unfortunately, things had come to a screeching halt when the imposter had murdered one of the Reserve Course Students, Yasuke Matsuda, right in front of Ryoko. It got even worse after that as the faker had gleefully revealed that Ryoko had been Junko all along and that she had just watched her boyfriend die in agony.

Why the disguised person had done that, Junko didn't know, as the next time she woke up, she had reverted back to her true self in the arms of a hysterical Mukuro, unable to remember too much about her time as the amnesiac Reserve Course Student. She'd managed to piece together a little bit with her foggy memories, but it wasn't until her sister had tearfully revealed the truth, did she know what had happened.

Not long after, Junko was approached by Chiaki, who had finished her research into Junko's condition, ordering the red head into a therapy session with Chisa. Now, all three of the sat in the darkened room that served as Chisa's office.

Junko sniffed a little from where she was sat. "Thanks, it means a lot to me." she mumbled. "I've been getting a little better so you don't have to worry. Yasuke wouldn't have wanted me to cry..." Of course, she did not mention she had cried herself to sleep last night.

"That's good," Chisa smiled. "I know it's been a tough few days, especially with the funeral, but I promise you it will get better. You'll be back on your feet in no time. I'm sure your sister can help you with that."

"Yes," Junko nodded. "Mukuro has always been good to me. But, i can't keep going like this. People need me, hope needs me. I've had a bad lot in life. The car accident, Mukuro running away for a while, the death of my parents." she shuddered. "I guess I'm just unlucky. I won't give up though. I'll continue my work in Yasuke's memory."

An excited smile spread across Chisa's face. "I see! Are you getting this down Chiaki?" Turning towards said girl, the pair noticed that she had fallen into another one of her infamous naps, the paper on her clipboard stuck to her cheek and covered in drool. "Chiaki!" shouted Chisa.

"Waaaah!" cried a startled Chiaki as she sprang awake. "I wasn't sleeping...I think?"

Chisa could only sigh. "It doesn't matter...anyway," she moved back to looking at Junko. "You mentioned a car accident. Would you like to talk about that?"

"That'll be a little hard." Junko elaborated "I can't really remember anything about it. The doctors say all of my childhood memories are permanently gone. I had to learn how to read and write all over again. Sorry I can't help you with more."

Chisa gasped. "I had no idea about that," she said as she stood up, gathering her papers. "In that case, I'll have to postpone this meeting until next week, since I need to consult your records. Are you alright to meet the same time next week?"

"That's fine!" cheered the younger girl, shaking Chisa's hand. "I'll see you then! See you later, Chiaki!" she waved at the pair before leaving through the door. The remaining two left inside were silent until they heard her footsteps fade away before the therapist rounded on her pink-haired companion.

"Chiaki! Did you know about that? Why didn't you tell me?" she scolded the neurologist, getting a rather adorable pout in return. "Don't look at me like that! Leaving out crucial information is bad practice for a therapist you know!"

Chiaki rolled her eyes through her large glasses. "Then it's a good thing I'm not a therapist isn't it?" she muttered sarcastically. After a moment's deliberation, she reached into her lab coat pockets and pulled out a transparent sheet that she lay down flat on the nearby coffee table. Despite not being a medical doctor, Chisa could understand what it was easily.

A scan of Junko Enoshima's brain.

"I was too caught up in this," explained the girl, taking hold of a pen and pointing it towards the front part of Junko's brain. "I wanted you to have a look at it first. A scan of Junko's brain I took when she was Ryoko. You see this part, Ms. Yukizome? This is what's called the frontal lobe, one of the major parts of a person's brain. It's responsible for a whole lot of stuff, even including a person's emotional inhibitions," she tapped the pen in an area that appeared heavily blotted out. "This blackened part? That's brain damage. Really bad brain damage. That car accident must have been super bad. Something as severe as this, something this bad, would mess with a person completely. Enough to even rewrite their entire personality drastically."

"What you're saying is that, before the accident, Junko Enoshima was a completely different person?"

"I think? I'm not sure yet. But I do think so." Chiaki pulled out another image. "See this one? Junko's brainwaves, look at how erratic they are. I've never seen anything like it. I even had Sayaka program a digitised version of them."

She turned to the older woman with wide eyes, breathing heavily. "Ms. Yukizome, we've done it," she began to gush frantically, grow more and more excited. "A one hundred percent success rate with your simulated therapy sessions! We ran those programs over a thousand times! A hundred percent! Every single 'person' successfully recovered when exposed to our brainwave program!"

"I...I can't believe it." Chisa was flabbergasted. No program that they had ever built before had ever come close to those numbers.

"You'd better! We've done it Ms. Yukizome! The Neo World Program is almost ready. If we transplant those brainwaves into an AI program, we'll finally have the guide we wanted all along. It's all thanks to Junko Enoshima..."

 ** _END_**

* * *

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Timeline_

 _This chapter takes place sometime after the events of Chapter 2 where we are first introduced to Ryoko and friends. By this point, Yasuke Matsuda has been murdered and the events of DanganRonpa 0 have come to a close. Mukuro, using the procedure she had stolen from Chiaki, reverted Ryoko back into Junko, with Junko none the wiser, though she does have foggy memories of her time as Ryoko, which is how she remembers Chiaki, Chisa, Sayaka and the Neo World Program._

 _The Car Accident_

 _The car accident that Junko went through here is a huge divergence from actual canon, resulting in a severe amount of brain damage that affected Junko's entire personality and caused a total erasure of all her childhood memories. How and why did she get into the accident? Was it really an accident at all? All these questions will be answered in a later chapter._

 _Junko's Brain Damage_

 _Probably the most unrealistic part of this chapter, but since canon DanganRonpa has robots, brainwashing, pink blood and blatantly supernatural events, I think I can be forgiven. I'm no neurosurgeon and this is just from a few hours of researching basic material about the brain, so forgive me if I am completely wrong about everything._


	6. Faithful

_**Disclaimer**_ _: All copyrighted materials belong to their respective creators and are not owned by me._

* * *

 ** _Did The Messiah Descend From Heaven To Bring Hope?_**

 ** _by Anju Addams_**

* * *

 _"_ _Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase._ _"_

 _\- Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)_

* * *

 _ **Faithful**_

"I thought I told you jerks to leave me alone while I'm working!" shouted the small green haired girl sat at a large computer screen as she heard the footsteps behind her. "Honestly, every time I'm trying to get something finished, you lot barge in like you own the place. Well, let me tell you-" she broke off as she turned around, staring at the person who had appeared in her room.

"Oh, Kamukura!" she exclaimed to the long blonde hair woman. "Wait, what the hell are you doing here? Did the Future Foundation send you over to check on my work? Hmmph! Well, you go right back and tell those pricks that my work is nowhere near complete and it won't be if they keep sending people over to distract me!" Pointedly ignoring the intruder, she turned back to her screen in a huff.

Apart from a raised eyebrow, Kamukura didn't react at all. "No. I arrived here through my own volition, Monaca Towa. If I recall, did you not want information on our current status?" Those last words grabbed Monaca's attention and she looked around to give Kamukura one of her signature creepy smiles.

"Monaca must admit that Monaca is very curious about what you have to say. Monaca wants to know just what is going on." So excited was the small girl, she had reverted back to her old way of speaking in the third person.

"The Future Foundation has finally captured the Soldiers of Despair and the Neo World Program is up and running. After I finish here, I will travel to Jabberwock Island and enter the Virtual Reality myself. Then, as predicted, I and the Soldiers will be returned to our true selves." Monaca nodded along in agreement. The individuals that Kamukura was talking about were a group of former Hope's Peak Academy Students, most of whom were from the 77th Class. Alongside Mukuro Ikubusa, the Soldiers of Despair had terrorised the world, driving more and more people into Despair and killing thousands with their exceptional mastery of their signature talents.

While countless people had called for their deaths, the survivors of the Hope's Peak Academy and the last final words of Junko Enoshima had culled most of that desire and eventually, the Soldiers had been captured one by one by the Future Foundation. With the machine built by Chisa Yukizome, Chiaki Nanami, Sayaka Maizono and a girl named Ryoko Otonashi, the hope was that the group could be reverted back to their former non-Despair selves.

"And Munakata agreed to let them enter the Neo World Program!?" Monaca spoke up. "Huh, I'm surprised. He's always been a bit of a self-righteous prick."

"No. In fact, he agreed with us rather whole-heartedly." Kamukura stated. "Just as I predicted. How boring." Holding back a sigh, the blonde walked over to the nearby window and peered out. "Though I suppose he has reason to be happy." she stared at the sky outside, which was tinged a light violet colour, despite that it was still the middle of the day. "It's almost over. With people getting back to their daily lives and the sky returning to a normal colour, it won't be long before the world is back to normal. A lot of people are saying it's thanks to you, Monaca. Your inventions, including your air purifier, have helped many people. Did you know they've started calling you the Ultimate Savior?"

A blush lit up Monaca's cheeks. "Heh...No, it's not me they should be thanking," she glanced down at the tiled floor in sadness. "This is all Big Sis Junko's dream. I just helped her fulfil it as best I could. I'm not the saint people believe me to be." Lost in her memories, her eyes glazed over as she continued. "Back then, before Junko, I was a horrid person, willing to convince my friends to commit suicide just because I thought it would be funny. But Big Sis changed that. She showed me that I don't need to do terrible things just to get revenge and that I really could make a difference in the world. I owe her my entire existence..."

"And then she died."

Unable to hold it, tears fell from Monaca's eyes. "Yes. Monaca never told anyone, but Monaca almost fell into Despair that day. Monaca would have gone down a dark, dark path. But..." she wiped her tears away, looking up with a smile. "Big Sis Junko's last words gave Monaca hope for the future! The hope to live on, the hope to dream. Her dream. To save as many as she could. Monaca will always to work towards that!"

Kamukura turned towards the door. "And now her dream has almost come true. It's almost over, and the world can go back to peace. Though it's almost unreal, even for me, to know what has happened. There used to be seven billion people on this planet and now there are just five hundred million. Still," she continued walking towards the door now. "I shall be off now. The next time I see you, I'll be a different person. Take care of me when that time comes. Goodbye, Monaca Towa and good luck." She vanished around the corner.

Monaca turned back to her computer. "I can hardly believe it. Big Sis Junko's dream is almost here." Just then, her screen switched to the image of another person."Did you get all of that?"

"Yes." said the person on the screen. "Thank you for everything, Monaca. You've done a good job. Now it's my time to shine."

"I have faith in you," Monaca began softly. "Therefore, I pass the torch onto you.."

Monaca smiled at the image inside her computer. The image there, that of a young girl, with long blond hair and beautiful blue eyes, smiled back at her.

"...Ryoko Otonashi."

 ** _END_**

* * *

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Timeline_

 _Takes place just before the events of Super DanganRonpa 2 and about half a year after the events of Chapter 1, meaning that the Mutal Killing Game had finished and the survivors have been inducted into the Future Foundation. Since DanganRonpa 3 takes place 'years after' the Mutual Killing Game and Komaru was trapped for a year and a half, I went with this length of time._

 _The Future Foundation_

 _One question you have is probably why the Future Foundation would ever agree to save the Soldiers of Despair when in canon, they wanted the Remnants dead. Well, you have to remember that the reason the FF and Munakata were so messed up in canon was because of both Chisa and Tengan driving them into a downward spiral. Without Chisa or Tengan ever being a mole for Despair and more well-rounded members around, the Future Foundation is more close-knit that it was in canon._

 _Due to these events, the last Mutal Killing Game will not happen._

 _The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History_

 _We are never actually shown too much of what happened during the Tragedy in canon and it's difficult to guess just how bad it was. In Killer Killer, it is shown that the idol, hospital, and manga industries are going on as normal and that most people are continuing with their ordinary lives. It is stated in DanganRonpa 3 that at least 40 people are murdered every month or that murder rates are at 40 percent, so the world is still in the middle of a crisis._

 _Because of butterflies, and the existence of Hope!Junko, the world is in a slightly better place than it was in canon. Thanks to the Towa Foundation and Monaca being on the side of Hope, there were not as many Monokuma robots, no Towa City invasion, and thanks to Monaca's air purifiers, the sky is almost back to a normal shade of blue. Still, the world has not recovered fully, especially since there are about 500 million humans left worldwide thanks to Mukuro being more proactive that canon Junko was._

 _Other factors including the world recovering faster are the presence of a nicer Future Foundation and the Naegi Family Conglomerate._

 _Monaca Towa and the Towa Foundation_

 _Thanks to meeting a nicer version of Junko on the day she attempted to commit her faked suicide, Monaca's thoughts of revenge vanished from her mind. With the help of Junko she managed to release evidence against her family's company and helped her friends escape the lives they had led up to the point. She went on to take over the Towa Foundation and helped Chiaki, Chisa, Sayaka and Ryoko to finish the Neo World Program by providing them funding. Her actions during the Tragedy led her to be coined the Ultimate Savior by the masses._

 _She still tends to be a sarcastic little kid though and lapses back into third person sometimes. Oh, and she doesn't fake her injury with a wheelchair._

 _Ryoko Otonashi's Return_

 _If Junko Enoshima is dead, then so too should be Ryoko right? Well, it will be revealed soon just how she is back, but I'm certain that most of you will have guessed by now. I'll still keep it to myself for the time being though you can tell me your guess in a review._


	7. Facts

_**AN:** Writer's block, writer's block, how I hate you, writer's block!_

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: All copyrighted materials belong to their respective creators and are not owned by me._

* * *

 ** _Did The Messiah Descend From Heaven To Bring Hope?_**

 ** _by Anju Addams_**

* * *

 _"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.."_

 _\- Sherlock Holmes (The Hound of the Baskervilles)_

* * *

 _ **Facts**_

It was a nightmare. A terrible horrible nightmare.

Those were the thoughts of Aoi Asahina as she fixed her gaze on the corner of the gymnasium, avoiding the suspicious glares the other students were currently giving each other. She couldn't blame them though, after all, they'd all woken up trapped in this hellhole of a school and a freaky monochrome bear had just explained that the only way to leave was to kill someone. So of course, they were understandably wary.

She was just glad that she knew deep down, that she would never be able to bring herself to kill someone. No way, no how. Even if her entire family was being held hostage, and at this point, she reasoned that they probably were, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't say the same for the others though, excluding both her new friend Sakura Oogami and the hoodie-clad redhead, Junko Enoshima, who was still looking exceedingly happy with her situation.

Just why the girl looked so happy, was currently a mystery to Asahina, one that she hoped to get to the bottom of very soon. The girl had proclaimed herself the Ultimate Analyst, but what that had to do with her creepy optimistic vibe, she didn't know. In fact, she'd been saying that a lot recently. She wondered if she was losing her touch. She'd even been able to remember the names and faces of her classmates rather easily. That had only really happened with people she'd known for years...

In any case, she'd just have to plod on and try and find a way out. She did miss her donuts!

* * *

 _Days Later..._

"This is awful," Asahina commented, looking around the table at the group pf students sat morosely around. "Someone's going to have to figure out who did it..." she trailed off. The rest of her supposed classmates, apart from a select few, notably, Sakura and Junko, looked queasy at that idea. The death of the Ultimate Fashionista, Byakuya Togami had hit them all hard, none more so that Fukawa who had refused to even see the body, locking herself in her room to scream uncontrollably.

Asahina had hoped that no one would have actually had the guts to go ahead and murder someone just to get out. Deep down, she had known at how fruitless that line of thinking was. But, now, she had a job to do, seeing as no one else was offering up.

"Is there anybody who wants to investigate?" she called out to the others. "How about you, Kyoko?" she asked the violet haired girl sat a few seats away. It was a logical choice, after all, seeing as how Kyoko Kirigiri was descended from a long line of detectives and had written various murder mysteries herself. Unfortunately, the mere suggestion made Kyoko's face turn an unnatural shade of green.

"I regret to say, that, I can't, " Kyoko told Asahina. "I swore off from investigating crime scenes after what happened last time." she continued, her burnt and blackened hands shaking slightly. Asahina gave a heavy sigh, and stood up from her seat.

"Just where are you going?" The black haired gothic swimmer, Taeko Yasuhiro asked her. "Not thinking of investigating are you, you brainless big-breasted bimbo? I doubt you could solve anything."

Asahina shrugged. "Well, if no one else wants to do it, then it'll have to be me." She turned to Junko. "I know that you'll at least help right? Can you come with me?" The brown skinned girl gave the Analyst a soft smile when without a word, the girl got up and walked to her side. Sakura also made a move to get up, but with a shake of Asahina's head, she settled down again.

"Thanks, Sakura, but I'd rather there be less of us. It'll stop others from interfering. I will trust you to make sure no one leaves this room while we look around right?" Without waiting for an answer, she grasped Junko's hand and led her out into the hallway. "Sorry about singling you out Junko, but I needed your help. Your talent must be amazing!"

"Actually," Junko began easily. "I have no idea where my talent came from. I've certainly never analysed anything before...I just got the letter from Hope's Peak one day proclaiming me the Ultimate Analyst. Like I said, I don't know why." She gave a shrug as Asahina groaned and brought her hand to her face.

"Oh...great," Asahina bemoaned. "I hope this all works out..."

"That's the spirit!" Junko cheered. "Now, let's do this thing!"

* * *

 _First Trial_

"So that's why my lip ring was in Togami's room!" Leon pointed to the large zit on his face that he'd previously been covering up with a surgical mask. "Since he wears 'em too, I wanted to ask him if this was anything to worry about! Bastard told me to get outta his face though, so I got pissed and threw the ring in his face! You gotta believe me, man! I ain't killed nobody!"

"Give it up, Kuwata." Mondo Oowada growled out. "We just need some more evidence and we'll prove it was you..." Asahina perked up from her stand.

"Good point Mondo!" she cheered. "I forgot to tell you guys but I found this as well! Hehehe, sorry for not telling anyone..." she continued. "Ta-da!" she flourished a folded up letter from her pocket in the air. "I wanted to talk about this letter! I believe it's important evidence...but first," she followed up, before taking a deep breath. "Did you know that ring shaped donuts were first invented in 1847 by Hanson Gregory when he was sixteen? Cool!"

Mondo growled again. "What about the letter?" Asahina ignored him, in favour of rambling on about her favourite snack.

"Or did you know that donuts are one of the most favoured treats of police officers?"

"Can we get to the letter now!?" Mondo shouted, his temper snapping. Asahina rambled on.

"What about the fact that there is a National Donut Day? Neat!"

Finally at breaking point, Mondo exploded into a raging furnace of fury. "LISTEN UP, DUMB BITCH! JUST READ THE FUCKING LETTER!"

Asahina tilted her head and looked at him confused. "What letter? I don't remember a letter?"

"THE ONE IN YOUR FUCKING HAND! THE ONE THAT LEON WROTE TO BYAKUYA ABOUT GOING TO HIS ROOM! THAT FUCKING LETTER!"

"Oh right, that one!" Asahina glanced over at the letter clutched in her hands. "Thanks for reminding me, Mondo...Although..."

From across the room, Monokuma gave his signature chuckle. "Upupupupu!"

With a slightly chilling grin, Asahina gazed in Mondo's face. "You fell right into my trap."

"!"

Asahina ignored the gambler's reaction and plowed on. "How on earth did you know what was written on here? I didn't tell anyone, and I even made sure Monokuma kept it off the clue list. So, Mondo Oowada...how did you know?"

Mondo was silent for a few moments before speaking again. "Tch...so now you're accusing me are you? Who the fuck do you think you are?"

"Oh, that's easy." Asahina told him. Slowly, and with an air of grace she didn't have before, she reached into her blazer pocket and pulled out a pair of red rimmed glasses. "I've had enough playing around." she told the room, placing the glasses on her face. "I can't believe you fell for it. Ultimate Donut Lover? Really? I suppose, I should properly introduce myself...I am Aoi Asahina..."

She smiled.

"...Ultimate Detective."

 ** _END_**

* * *

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Timeline_

 _Takes place during the events of DanganRonpa: Trigger Happy Havoc. In canon, this would take place during the first chapter, replacing Sayaka's murder by Leon, with that of Byakuya's by Mondo. Why those two? A literal dice roll._

 _Aoi Asahina_

 _Without a doubt, Asahina is my favourite character in all of DanganRonpa, including the other games. So I had to do her justice and I wanted to give her a talent that I've never seen anyone ever give her. The Ultimate Detective. In regards to this, Asahina's personality is mostly the same, an energetic girl with a huge love of donuts. Her ditzy, stupid nature is an act she plays up around people so that they underestimate her. After all, how could a big breasted clumsy idiot ever hope to find criminals? She still tends to forget people's faces and names, simply because she has so much stuff crammed in her head. Oh, and the glasses are purely for aesthetics._

 _Ultimate Analyst_

 _Finally, an explanation as to why you've never seen Junko use her talent at all. Simply, she doesn't have one. The brain damage she received in the car accident also removed her analytical skills completely, meaning she can't use them. Why then did Hope's Peak invite her under that talent? No reason, they just wanted someone around that they thought could keep Mukuro in line. That attempt failed...rather badly._

 _Monokuma_

 _Despite literally only talking once in the entire chapter, Monokuma is exactly the same as in canon. I thought about making him more drill sergeant like, before realising that was way too obvious as to who the Mastermind was. So, I kept him just the same as in canon._


	8. Facade

_**AN:**_ _Parts of this chapter have been re-edited to fit within the new direction of this story. This includes some dialogue._

 _Hey look! A Mukuro-centric chapter._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: All copyrighted materials belong to their respective creators and are not owned by me._

* * *

 ** _Did The Messiah Descend From Heaven To Bring Hope?_**

 ** _by Anju Addams_**

* * *

 _"Wherever there is Hope, there is most definitely Despair."_

 _\- A Despair-filled Girl From A Certain World, Far, Far Away_

* * *

 _ **Facade**_

Hatred.

That word alone, that descriptive little bunch of squiggles used to convey a certain emotion, was the one word that Mukuro Ikubusa, the Ultimate Soldier and secretly, the self-proclaimed Ultimate Despair, would use to describe how she felt about her 'darling' sister, Junko Enoshima. It was a hatred that ran deep and far in her heart, from the very day that the pair of twins had been born to the current moment. Sure, the reason she utterly despised her sister had changed drastically over the years, the feeling was still the same. But the hatred towards Junko showed no signs of stopping and with every action that her delusional, and actually professionally diagnosed as insane, sister continued to take, it grew more and more out of control.

Mukuro just salivated the day she would end her sister's life once and for all. Along with the rest of the human race.

In her time with FENRIR, she'd come to see the worst in humanity. It was all around her, arrogance, selfishness, corruption and greed. With every generation, humans grew more and more violent, causing meaningless wars just for the sake of it. Well, if humans wanted an endless war, she'd give it to them. She'd spent hours upon hours of thinking up plans for the end of civilisation, but they'd all been discarded. She was a soldier not a strategist after all. Much better at following orders than giving them.

But then a miracle had occurred. She had her greatest plan yet.

When she'd returned home from FENRIR, she'd been rather idea-less. Nothing new came to her.

But then she'd been invited into Hope's Peak Academy.

And that's when an idea hit her.

A world encompassing plan that would utilise the talents of a select group of Hope's Peak Academy Students by driving them into Despair, leading them to cause countless tragic events, over and over, until the whole world was nothing but locked in a cycle of endless Despair. After all that, with a few pushes here and there, and something called the 'Mutual Killing Game' she could cause even more Despair. Therefore, there was no guarantee that Junko could ever bring about Hope, especially if she was in the Killing Game.

So, with the unwitting help of the Ultimate Neurologist that she had stolen some ideas from, and a little bit of mental manipulation on Junko's already damaged brain would remove any pesky little memories. Already, with the advent of her 'Ryoko Otonashi' plan, it was proving to be a success. Dressing up as her own twin and murdering the amnesiac Junko's talent-less Reserve Course boyfriend was absolutely liberating. She could have kept Junko like that for longer, but she wanted to finally see the look on the girl's face when she revealed her goal.

It would be truly Despairing.

 _But for now,_ she told herself, _I have another experiment to perform._ From where she was sat, she pulled out a single USB stick and plugged into the nearby computer before highlight the singular file on it. It was her ultimate piece of work, cobbled together from recent footage she had captured with the 'help' of the Student Council and the Ultimate Animator.

"Junko," she drawled, turning towards the red-headed girl who was currently lounging on her pink bed-sheets. "You don't mind coming here do you? I have something to show you." She fought hard to keep the glee out of her voice. It wouldn't be good for her sister to be suspicious. She already had enough of that from that big breasted detective classmate of hers.

With an face-splitting grin, her sister stood up and walked over. "Sure!" the girl cheered. "You know, you've never shown me anything before...Why now?"

"Oh, well!" Mukuro replied with the same cheerful tone. "I was just working on a new project, and well, I thought that you should be the first to see it. You ARE my sister after all." So, sue her, it was the best excuse she could come up with. With a grunt of exertion, she stood up from her seat and offered it to Junko. "You'll need to sit down for this, and watch the screen closely. Don't take your eyes off it!"

"Alright Mukuro." Junko said, seating herself down. Leaning over her sister, Mukuro clicked on the video twice, opening it up. After a short few seconds of silence, the music started up as images began to appear on screen.

 ** _"Ima watashi no negaigoto ga..."_**

* * *

 _ **"...yukitaiiiiiiiii."**_

As the last few notes of Mukuro's voice faded away, and the horrifying images of the Student Council in their Despair-filled state vanished from the screen, Mukuro, panting in a heavy state of ecstasy, turned towards her sister who was still gazing at the blank monitor. "So..." she breathed out. "What did you think of that, Junko? Did you enjoy it? How do you feel?"

Junko continued to stare blankly into the screen and Mukuro was on the verge of thinking she'd broken her sister again, when the girl finally twitched and tilted her head towards the soldier.

"I thought..." she murmured monotonously. "I thought..." Mukuro eagerly leaned it closer to hear the girl's words.

That was a mistake.

With no warning at all, and thus no time to dodge, a pink coloured boot slammed into the soldier's face, breaking her nose with a sickening crack. She stumbled to the floor and covered her head as even more blows from Junko's boot reigned down on her skull. Each blow felt like the girl was putting every ounce of her deceptive strength into it.

"IT. WAS. ABSOLUTELY." screamed Junko, punctuating every word with another blow. "FUCKING. PATHETIC!" Thankfully, at last, she calmed down and stopped kicking her sister into the ground. Mukuro herself scrambled up from the floor, putting considerable distance between the pair. "I have to thank you though, Mukuro." came Junko's sickeningly sweet voice. "That video was really...enlightening. So this is Despair, huh? I have to say...I FREAKING LOVE IT!" Still caught up in her new found high, the redhead turned towards her twin. "Finally, you've actually been useful for once in your pathetic life, you piece of human garbage. Though, I was weird...Seriously, what the hell was I thinking? Hope? Yuck!" she added, pretending to gag.

Hands shaking uncontrollably, in both fear and lust, Mukuro spoke up. "So it worked then. That video put you back to normal." Junko nodded sagely.

"Yes, I suppose it di-wait," she paused, sending Mukuro a smile that would crack mirrors, her eyes lighting up into red swirls. "My dear, sweet sister, what do you mean by back to normal?" Mukuro hesitated to tell her and weighed up her options. In the end, either way would get her smacked around again and she decided to come clean.

"Well, this is how you were before..." she gulped, trailing off nervously. "You know, before the car accident."

"Oh, that one?" the brainwashed red-head dismissed casually. "The one where you pushed me into it, right?" At those words, Mukuro froze, paralyzed with fear. Sweat dripped down her forehead as she stumbled over her words.

"Y-You remember?" she squeaked out. Junko sprang foward and slapped the girl across the face, bruising her cheek.

"Duh, idiot. It's the ONLY thing I remember from my childhood. I just never really cared about it until now." she gave a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. "So, I was like this before then? Crazy about Despair?"

Mukuro nodded. "Yes, you were obsessed with it. I mean, really obsessed." she replied with a shiver. "You used to constantly torment me with your little schemes. I just...well...you see, one day, I got so mad at you, I pushed you into that car." the soldier revealed honestly.

"So, what's the reason for all this then?" Junko gestured to the computer. "That little video and all that? You can't just be doing this for some petty revenge are you? Because that is downright fucking pathetic. I take back what I said about you being useful. Seriously you're so disgusting, it makes me want to kill myself. Gross!"

"N-NO!" Mukuro denied. "Sure, some of it is to get revenge on you, but the rest...well, that's just what the world needs right? An endless war of nothing but Despair. Deep down all humans desire it."

Junko gave a heavy sigh. "Well, it's your dumbass idea." Suddenly she brightened up. "Even so, I should be in the leading role right? Yesssssss..." she salivated. "The Despair of betraying my own classmates, watching them die..." she shivered in ecstasy. "IT'S FREAKING AMAZING!"

Mukuro nodded along loyally. It was inevitable, she supposed, to go back to being her sister's lapdog.

Junko continued to ramble on. "First, I think I'll take care of that Chiaki bitch. Seriously, she needs to, like, die in a fire. God! Then, I'll do something about that therapist. Yeah! Maybe I'll show her that video you show-!" Suddenly, the despairing red-head stumbled away, clutching her head in pain. A few screams of agony later, and the girl vomited up most of the food she had eaten at dinner.

"Junko!" Mukuro cried, leaping over in concern, only to get smacked away. She went back to cowering in the corner as Junko straightened up.

"Typical." Junko told her, wiping her mouth clean. "Even your little Despairing video can't get past that brain damage you caused."

Mukuro grew curious. "What do you mean?" she asked. In return, she received a fierce glare.

"It means dumbass, that I'm reverting back to my Hoped-up self. I doubt I'll remember any of this shit."

"I can find a way to stop it. Put you back like this."

Junko fixed her with another dirty glare. "Don't even bother. I hate you and you hate me, and we both know it." she said bluntly. "But who cares? You can do what you like with me. Whether it's kill me, or torture me. Just don't turn me towards Despair again. After all..." she finished. "THIS IS THE MOST DESPAIR I'VE EVER FELT! TO KNOW THAT SOON I'LL BE BACK TO THAT PATHETIC HOPE FILLED FUCK THAT I WAS BEFORE, IT'S ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY DESPAIRING! UPUPUPU! SO YOU CAN BEAT ME, OR KILL OR DO WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU WANT! THIS A DREAM COME TRUE! THIS. IS. TRULY..." she screamed through her mad cackles.

 _ **"ULTIMATE DESPAIR!"**_

With a dramatic raising of her arms, Junko's face lit up in absolute glee before she pitched forwards, smashing her face into the corner of her desk. Face covered in pink blood, the girl fell to the floor, completely unconscious.

"Junko?" Mukuro called out weakly. "Are you okay?"

For a full minute, there was complete silence, before a groan from the girl lying in front of her, perked her up.

"Owww...did I hit my head?" Junko groaned as she blinked rapidly, trying and failing to steady herself by clutching onto the drawers at her side. "Did I miss your video? Sorry, Mukuro..."

"That's okay, Junko." Mukuro sighed in relief. In one swift movement, she had pulled Junko onto her back. "Come on, let's get you over to the nurse's office." Junko snuggled herself sleepily into Mukuro's shoulder.

"I love you, Mukuro. You're the best sister anyone can have." she muttered.

Unseen to the red-head, Mukuro's face twisted into a expression of utter loathing. "Love you too, Junko, love you too."

* * *

 ** _Notes:_**

 _Timeline_

 _This chapter takes place shortly after the events portrayed in Chapter 5 and is set a few months before the start of the Tragedy. The Student Council and Yasuke are dead and Mukuro is perfecting the Despair Video for the Reserve Course to keep watching._

 _Junko before the Car Accident_

 _I know some of you where wondering this question. What was Junko like before the accident? Well, all is revealed. Simply put, she was Canon!Junko with all that implies. If Junko had continued on as normal, DanganRonpa would happen as usual, though with some different events due to Talentswaps and all. It is also revealed that Mukuro is the cause of this particular change of events, when she pushed Junko into a moving car after a particularly bad incident in which Junko tormented her._

 _Mukuro Ikubusa_

 _While Canon!Mukuro had a dangerous obsession with loving her sister, this Mukuro hates Junko's guts and will do anything to see her dead. After Junko became Hopeified due to brain damage, she grew to hate her even more, simply because of how carefree and nice the new Junko was. So, after running away from home she joined FENRIR as in canon. This time however, the period she spent with the group made her more bitter and twisted and she eventually grew a hatred for humanity. In the end, she decided to return to home where she attempted to formulate a plan against the world after she joined HPA._

 _The Despair Video_

 _The same video as in canon, just without Junko or Kamakura in it and the Student Council killing each other in different ways. Like in canon, it messes with people's inhibition's and desires until they are twisted into Despair. It has a mostly permanent effect on most people, but Junko is partially immune due to brain damage and she will eventually snap out of it, forgetting everything. Various other factors like a certain program being developed can cure everyone else._


	9. Fondness

**_AN:_** _IS THERE ANYONE WHO CAN REMOTELY CONTROL OUR BOY JUZO!?_

 _Calming down, I don't think I ever mentioned that Junko has an ahoge. Well, she does and it looks like Komaru's. Hey, she is the Main Protagonist!_

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: All copyrighted materials belong to their respective creators and are not owned by me._

* * *

 ** _Did The Messiah Descend From Heaven To Bring Hope?_**

 ** _by Anju Addams_**

* * *

 _"Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love."_

 _\- Mother Teresa (1910-1997)_

* * *

 _ **Fondness**_

Juzo Sakakura sighed as he slouched over on the bench. He paid no mind to the rain that was drenching him completely, instead continuing to sigh sadly every few seconds. Lately, things had...not been going well. In fact, they had not been going well for a while, not since he'd first taken up the job as the agricultural teacher at Hope's Peak Academy. To be honest, he'd never really wanted the job at all, and only at the behest of his best friend, Kyosuke Munakata, the Ultimate Student Council President, had he, the Ultimate Farmer, taken it up in the first place.

Munakata was extremely suspicious with some of the goings-on over at the Japanese branch of the Academy, in regards to the mysterious 'Kamakura Project' and the School Board's involvement and had requested Juzo to take up the role of one of the Academy's new batch of teachers, one of which was perfect for the farmer's talent, in order to report back anything that he could find.

It had been rather disastrous.

First, the Kamakura Project had gone off without a hitch, the Board forcing the Ultimate Neurologist into lobotomising a young Reserve Course Student to become the so-called 'Ultimate Hope.' Not soon after that had occurred, most of the Student Council had turned up dead in one of the old school buildings. A brief questioning of the hysterical survivors, Kotomi Ikuta and Aiko Umesawa, had revealed that the group had murdered each other in some sick twisted game. Predictably, even though the Board tried frantically to cover it up, the news had broken out.

Days later, the Reserve Course Students had begun rioting about how the school had been using their money to create 'murderers'. While there were some people who had tried to appease the parade of angry teenagers, their voices had been quelled when news of Natsumi Kuzuryuu's disappearance and the discovery of Yasuke Matsuda's corpse had been revealed. Both had been students on the Reserve Course. Things just seemed to be getting worse and worse, and he was sure something terrible would happen soon.

But if he was completely honest, that was not the reason he was upset. No, the reason he was feeling down on this particular day was a simple, single reason.

It was Christmas Eve.

All around the world, including Japan, people would be snuggling up together in preparation for the following day when they could finally show their love and appreciation to their fellow humans with a showering of presents.

And Juzo was all alone. His parents were long since out of the picture, and the only person whose company he truly, honestly enjoyed was currently on an island in the middle of nowhere. It wasn't like had anyone else to share Christmas with anyway. After all, he wasn't really one for enjoying the company of the opposite gender. No, he kept a tight grip on that little secret.

Sometimes, he still had nightmares of Munakata finding out. Of what the man would do when he found out Juzo was...well, he didn't want to go there.

Instead, he continued to drown out his sorrows by listening to the pitter-patter of rain on his jacket. He didn't even look up when a pair of pink boots and brown loafers entered his vision.

"Hey there!" came an energetic voice. "Why are you being such a downer? It's Christmas Eve!" Curious, Juzo finally looked up at the two people who had arrived and interrupted his brooding.

It was a pair of girls, both students of Hope's Peak Academy he had seen around a few times even if he didn't know their names. The one who had spoken up first, was a brown-skinned, dark-haired girl with rather large...assets, clothed in the standard Hope's Peak uniform. The other student, who was holding onto an opened white umbrella upon which was plastered a pair of creepy red eyes and a cat-like mouth, was a red-headed pony-tailed young girl in a white hoodie and a pink miniskirt. She was smiling kindly at him, while the brown-skinned girl looked rather worried.

Juzo grunted in annoyance, not wanting to deal with some stupid kids. "Piss off," he told them. "Who cares about that shit?" In response to his words, the girl who had spoken gained a look of offence.

"How can you say that?" she cried. "There's no need to be rude! I was just asking you an honest question, jeez..." she trailed off, spinning around on one foot to look away from him. "C'mon, Junko, let's get outta here. This jerk doesn't need our help."

Now Juzo was feeling a little bit guilty. The pair of girls hadn't done anything wrong and he'd basically brushed them aside like an asshole. "I'm sorry," he spoke up reluctantly. "I've just been feeling a little down recently. If you and that creepy umbrella girl want to stay it's fine." The dark-haired girl looked confused at his words.

"Creepy Umbrella Girl?" she repeated to herself before she realised and turned to the one she had called Junko. "I told you we should have left that thing back in your dorm and gotten a proper one. It's starting to freak people out."

"Awww...Asahina," Junko whined even if she didn't look sad in the slightest. "But Kyuubey is so cute though! He's like a little fluffy bunny." The so-called Asahina rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Yeah, sure...if the word bunny can be replaced with 'demon.'" she muttered sarcastically. "Anyway," she returned back to looking at Juzo. "As I was saying before, why are you out here on such a day? Shouldn't you be with family or someone?"

"Feh...I don't have any family," the farmer scoffed. "They died years back, and the only friend of mine is miles away. So no, I don't have anyone to be with."

"I see...I just thought that someone as handsome as you would have found a boyfriend by now." Juzo begrudgingly nodded at her words, before the blood froze in his veins. Every part of his brain was screaming at him as his mind repeated the last words she had spoken to him.

 _Boyfriend._

 ** _BOYFRIEND._**

 _How did she know!?_ _**HOW DID SHE KNOW!?**_

Leaping to his feet, the tall man reached out and pulled Asahina up by her collar. Cocking back a fist, he aimed it at her face. "How the fuck do you know that? I've never told anyone. So how the fuck did you know?" The girl struggled against his grip as she attempted to kick at his shins, but he ignored her pitiful attempts. Rather bizarrely, the other girl, Junko, was still stood there as if it were an everyday conversation.

"Let me go!" Asahina shouted. "I'm the Ultimate Detective you idiot! I figured it out myself! Just like how I figured out your in love with your friend!" With a growl of anger, Juzo brought her face close to his, their noses almost touching.

"Oh yeah?" he spat. "What else did you 'figure out' you big breasted bimbo?" He'd never felt so angry before and his free hand was shaking uncontrollably. The urge to punch her in her snobby little nose was overwhelming.

"I know that you're a coward." she answered. That was it. The last straw, the one that broke the camel's back and Juzo's fist tightened around Asahina's neck.

"A coward am I?" he roared. "Well excuse me for never telling anyone! All my life, I've seen how people look at people like me! How disgusted they are by it! How wrong it makes them feel! That's why I never told anyone! I don't wanted to be judged, or belittled or made a fool of anymore!" he pointed his free hand at Junko's neck, where her crucifix hung. "Especially from people like her!"

"Hey!" Asahina cried back. "Don't you say that about Junko! You don't know her! Just because others judged you, doesn't give you the right to judge others. Junko is one of the kindest, most nicest and non-judging people I've ever met, no matter who or what she believes in!" Her passionate speech seemed to have the right effect, as Juzo's grip loosened on the detective and she bounced back onto the ground.

"Sorry," Juzo grunted as Asahina stood up, brushing the dirt from her uniform. "Look, it's just..." he struggled to find the words. "It's my friend, I do have feelings for him. It just terrifies me knowing what'll happen if he finds out. He won't want to see me again and then I'll have no-one."

"Then he's not much of a friend is he?" That was Asahina's opinion anyway. Junko on the other hand...

"I think you should give it a try," the other pair turned towards the bizarre girl. "What? You just have to hope. There's no reason in simply trying. What do you have to lose?" The pair continued to look at her in a state of weird awe.

"What do I have to lose? Everything! My best friend, my life and even my job!" Juzo exclaimed. "What the hell would I do then, huh?" Junko merely continued to smile.

"Have hope, and keeping having it. Hope to find a new friend, a new life. You have nothing to lose. You have a great talent. You've been successful. Anyone would be lucky to have you. There are plenty of fish in the sea. You just have to cast out a net."

Asahina nodded sagely. "She's right you know, and anyway, how do you know he'd do all that? Has he ever told you his opinion? Has ever made his stance clear?" Juzo thought about it. In fact, to tell the truth, in all the time he'd know Munakata, the man had never said anything, never given anything away about how he felt on the subject. Thinking back, he could even remember the one time, he and Munakata had seen a couple like him in a restaurant. Not one mote of disgust or judgemental look had ever crossed Munakata's face in the few minutes he'd glanced over at them.

He sighed. "Maybe your right...I-I've just never thought about it..." With a nod, he straightened up. "Yeah...I gotta give it a try...Thanks...err...Junko was it?" The girl in question reached out a hand and patted him on the shoulder. In silence, she turned around and walked away. Asahina watched her go for a few seconds, before she realised she had been drenched in rain.

"Oh crap! Wait uppppppp!" she cried, running after the wayward girl, leaving Juzo alone in the rain once more.

Juzo sighed again. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out an old and battered cellphone. Thankful that it was waterproof, he took a deep breath, and called the only number he had as a contact. He waited in a dragging silence as the phone continued to ring and ring. He was just about to give up, when the line was picked up.

"Juzo, a pleasure to talk to you. Did you want something?" Juzo's mouth closed up as he tried to form the words. "Juzo? Is something wrong?"

"No," he answered. "Hey, listen Munakata, I need to come and see you tomorrow. Could you send a ship over? There's something I want to...no, I have to tell you...and it has to be in person. It's pretty serious...no, no, I'm not in trouble...yes, yes, I'll be there..."

* * *

 ** _Notes:_**

 _Timeline_

 _Set on Christmas Eve which means it takes place after Chapter 8, which took place in November. Since Class 77-B actually graduated, I presume the Tragedy begun around March-time, the actual time for high-school graduation in Japan. So about 4 months to go until the school is locked down for a year with Class 78 inside._

 _Juzo Sakakura_

 _The best and only friend of Munakata because Chisa was never close to him in this universe since she was a therapist instead. He is known for his rather blunt attitude and anger management issues. After seeing a physiologist as a child, he was suggested to take an emotional outlet for his anger and was given advice to grow some vegetables in his garden. Shockingly, he grew to enjoy taking care of his crops and he continued his work until one day he had a field of his own while he was still a child. Eventually he was invited to Hope's Peak where he met Munakata._

 _Despite these changes, he is still in love with Munakata and often worried about how his friend would react when he found out. With the kind words received from a certain Hopeful girl, he confessed his true feelings and was accepted by his friend. He eventually joined his new-found boyfriend in the Future Foundation where he is a Branch Head. He is mostly the same, but less prone to violent outbursts thanks to his boyfriend and Junko's words._

 _Kyosuke Munakata_

 _Munakata is exactly the same as he is in canon, down to having the same Talent. The only difference he has is that he never met Chisa and instead is much, much closer to Juzo. By the time DR3 would take place, the pair are in a happy relationship. Personality-wise, he is much more willing to listen to other people and has no burning hatred for Despair unlike his canon self, so much so, that he allows the Soldiers of Despair to be rehabilitated._

 _Student Council_

 _As per canon, the Student Killing Game took place, with slightly different events due to Talentswaps and butterflies. Instead of one survivor,_ _Sōshun Murasame, two others survived instead. These are Kotomi Ikuta, the girl Mukuro shot in canon, and Aiko Umesawa, the girl in the Pikachu hoodie. Thankfully, they go on to survive the entire Tragedy and are safe and happy as members of the Future Foundation._


	10. Facsimile

**_AN:_** _The chapter you've all been waiting for! Time for the introduction of Class 77-B!_

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: All copyrighted materials belong to their respective creators and are not owned by me._

* * *

 ** _Did The Messiah Descend From Heaven To Bring Hope?_**

 ** _by Anju Addams_**

* * *

 _"Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?"_

\- _Morpheus (The Matrix)_

* * *

 ** _Facsimile_**

Natsumi Kuzuryuu woke up to blackness. It wasn't anything really unusual for someone who usually woke up long before the sun ever had time to rise, but this time, she could tell something was drastically different. For one, the darkness was too thick, too clogging. A deep dark blackness that she could not see through. Oddly enough though, a quick glance down revealed that her own body was perfectly visible as if it were the daytime. So, something was definitely up.

"Where the hell am I?" she murmured to herself before raising her voice. "Hello? Is anyone there? Is this some kind of sadistic joke?"

No one answered her.

She wondered if this was actually a kidnapping. Had some rival Yakuza clan kidnapped her just to get back at her family? She'd seen it happen to several of her family members before and they'd always ended up at the bottom of some miscellaneous river in cement blocks hours later. The last thing she remembered was getting a change of clothes ready for the next day, when her brother would start his first day at Hope's Peak Academy. While she didn't really show it, she was happy for her brother, even if he hadn't been entered under the title of 'Ultimate Yakuza' like the rest of her family hoped he would. In the end it was obvious that he would have never gotten that title anyway, since he had no interest in leading the Kuzuryuu family anyway.

Natsumi herself, had always wanted to enter Hope's Peak Academy, in a secret wish to be alongside her brother, but she'd simply never been talented enough to be scouted, and the only thing she was good at, being a Yakuza heiress, already had someone with the title anyway. So, the young girl had resigned herself to cheering for her brother on the sidelines like she always did. However, now that she thought about it, there were rumours that Hope's Peak Academy would soon be opening it's doors for regular students to attend. Maybe if she asked her father hard enough...

 _What the fuck am I thinking!?_ , she thought, _I should be figuring out a way to get the hell out of here! Wherever here is..._

Turning around, she jolted when she saw the door floating there. She scanned around the room one more time, before shrugging and pushing the door open with one hand. Immediately she was beset by a loud voice.

"NATSUMI!?"

Squinting her eyes, the girl now found herself in a classroom of students and a small pink bunny creature. One of those students was someone she knew very well.

Her brother, the Ultimate Gymnast. He was still dressed in his gym shirt and shorts, his face covered in bruises and plasters. "Why are you here?" he asked.

"I don't know!" she cried. "Where the hell are we anyway?"

"Oh, dat's easy," the pink bunny spoke up. "We'we at Hope's Peak Acwademy." Natsumi gawked. THAT THING COULD TALK? WHAT THE HELL? "I am Usami." it continued. "I'm you'we teacwer now."

"Hope's Peak Academy? But I'm not even a student here!"

Usami waved her off. "Oh, that doesn't mattwer. We'we all here to have fun!" With a wave of her magic wand, the walls fell open, revealing a heavenly tropical paradise. "Welcome to the Hope's Peak Scwool Twip! Let's all get awong now!"

Brain fried, Natsumi fainted on the spot.

* * *

For the second time that day, Natsumi Kuzuryuu woke up. This time however, she woke up to the sound of waves and the beat of the hot sun upon her skin. Oh, and the face of a blonde girl right in front of her own.

"Gah!" she jerked upwards, almost hitting the girl, who moved back herself. "What the fuck are you doing?" The mystery girl stood up, brushing the sand away from her white bikini.

"Sorry about that," she said kindly. "We were just worried about you." Natsumi regarded her with a glare. Just because she'd fainted didn't mean she was incapable of taking care of herself. She was a Yakuza heiress for crying out loud! She was just about to relay those words, when something else the girl had said caught her attention.

"We?" she repeated. From behind her, there was a short huff and she turned around to meet the scowling face of her brother. "Fuyuhiko, what the hell! I can take care of myself. God!" Secretly, she was actually a little grateful. She was lucky to have such a wonderful sibling as him. That, she kept quiet about though. She didn't want anyone to think she was some sort of softy.

"Feh..."Fuyuhiko scoffed. "Maybe if you took better care of yourself, then I wouldn't have to. I could have been doing a training regime now." In response, Natsumi childishly stuck out her tongue. Behind her, the blonde mystery girl giggled, and the siblings turned to face the noise. "And who the hell are you?" Fuyuhiko asked.

The mystery girl's eyes widened. "Oh!" she cried. "That's right! I haven't introduced myself yet have I? Well, I am Ryoko Otonashi. Ultimate Analyst."

The gymnast studied her. "Ultimate Analyst huh?" he asked. "Care to prove that?" Natsumi elbowed her brother in the ribs, only to receive an elbow in return.

"Of course!" Ryoko cheered happily. "Let's see...you are Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, a member of the famous Kuzuryuu Yakuza clan. You were once slated to become the heir to the family business, but you weren't interested in it. Instead, you were more interested in physical activities, namely gymnastics, because you wanted to develop your smaller body build. Therefore, it was decided that your sister," she waved her hand at Natsumi. "Would become the heiress of the clan instead and hopefully take the title of Ultimate Yakuza. Oh, and you dislike milk."

Fuyuhiko gave a sharp nod as Natsumi gaped at Ryoko. "Hmm..." he pondered. "That was quite convincing, especially the milk part. That's proof enough for me."

Ryoko bowed in gratitude. "Thanks, that means a lot." Suddenly, she straightened up and pointed at Natsumi. "Oh! I forgot again! I should introduce you to everyone else, since you fainted while we were all meeting each other..." Quickly, she grasped Natsumi's hand in hers and dragged her away down a short path that went away from the beach. Natsumi struggled against the girl's surprisingly strong grip and called for her brother to help, but he only watched in amusement as she was dragged away. In a spout of anger, Natsumi gave him a rude gesture, which he only replied with a wave goodbye, as he walked out of sight in the opposite direction.

Oblivious to the goings-on behind her, Ryoko continued to speak. "...and everyone's already collecting the Hope Fragments for Usami, so it'll be easy to find them."

 _What the fuck is a Hope Fragment!?_ , Natsumi thought.

"Don't worry about those," Ryoko explained, as if reading her mind. "I'll let you know later. For now, I want to introduce some people to you." It was at that point that Natsumi suddenly realised that she was now standing near a large gate upon which were imprinted the words 'Hotel Mirai'. Standing just outside were three of the other students in Fuyuhiko's class. One was a brown haired boy dressed in a brown hoodie that depicted a large four leaf clover. The next student was another boy, this time with extremely white hair that matched his chef's apron. The last member of the group was a stern-looking silver haired girl in a rather fancy kimono.

"Hey everyone," Ryoko said as she pulled Natsumi over to meet them. "Just thought I'd introduce Natsumi to everyone. Everyone, say hello to Natsumi!"

The brown haired boy in the hoodie was the first to greet her, flashing a bright smile. "Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Hajime Hinata. Ultimate Lucky Student." he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Though to be honest, getting this invitation to Hope's Peak was the luckiest thing that's ever happened to me."

Natsumi had heard about the so-called 'Ultimate Lucky Student.' Supposedly, every year, the board would select, at random, a certain youth from the Japanese populace to become an Ultimate member of the Academy without actually having a talent of their own. So, this was the one this year? He looked kind of...plain.

Next up was the white haired chef. "Nice to meet you!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I'm Nagito Komeda, the Ultimate Chef. I hope that one day, I can cook up a nice meal for you. I still need to perfect my cooking skills." he laughed. "I'm a bit of a perfectionist."

The silver-haired female chuckled. "I'd say you have self esteem issues." she told them. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, I am Peko Pekoyama-Nevermind. Ultimate Princess. I have come all the way from my country of Novoselic to be here alongside my sister, the Ultimate Engineer."

While Natsumi had never heard of Nagito Komeda, she had heard about the 'Ultimate Princess.' Supposedly, years ago, the current rulers of Novoselic, a small European nation, had come across a baby abandoned in the wild. While they had a daughter of their own, a second child was apparently impossible for the pair and they had given up hope that their headstrong daughter would have no siblings. So, within a few hours of finding the babe, the pair had legitimised the child as their own, raising her to be a perfect princess. Apparently, even her entire country worshipped her as heir to the throne, even if she was no blood relation to royalty at all.

She had no time to think as Ryoko dragged her away again and into the lobby of the building behind the gates. Inside, where another three students. These ones were the tall musclebound man she had seen earlier, a tall fat boy with long brown hair and a shorter boy of the same build dressed in a simple pair of slacks. He was also surrounded by several chipmunks.

Upon the arrival of the girls, they looked towards them. The first over was the chubby boy with the animals. Upon seeing Natsumi, he had let out a perverted grin and rushed forward to stroke her hand. "Hello, my beautiful queen...I am the darling Teruteru Hanamura...Ultimate...Breeder." he said in a seductive tone. Natsumi slapped his hand away in disgust. She did not want to deal with perverts today!

The gigantic man let out a rumble of a laugh. "Break it up Teruteru. Let's get this over with. I gotta take a shit." he said bluntly. "I am Nekomaru Nidai, Ultimate Musician. Though I wish I'd been chosen as the Ultimate Drummer instead."

The last student, the fat brown-haired boy, raised his hand in a shy manner. "I'm Henso Hattori. Ultimate Animator."

Again, before Natsumi could get a word in, she was carted off, this time out the hotel's back entrance, to a small area of cottages where three more students had gathered. One was a dark haired boy dressed in a sports uniform who was glaring rather heavily at a short blonde haired girl, who was swinging a large katana around with surprising grace. Off to the side, near one of the cottage was a freckled red-headed girl in a pink nurse's uniform. She was gazing at the blonde swordswo...girl with a worried look on her face.

"That's Gundham Tanaka, Ultimate Team Manager," Ryoko whispered to her. "He might look scary, but he's actually really nice, if a little quirky. That girl with the sword? That's Hiyoko Saionji, Ultimate Swordswoman. She might look tiny, but she's really really dangerous. Be careful of her. That last girl though? She's much nicer. That's Mahiru Koizumi, Ultimate Nurse. She'll help you out in a pinch," she finished, pulling Natsumi along. "Come on, let's go. I don't want to disturb them."

She was dragged even further this time, into a small workshop off to the side of the hotel. Like everytime before, there were another three students in there. Natsumi was beginning to feel she was caught in a timeloop. Thankfully, the students were different ones. A pretty blonde girl in a dirty blue jumpsuit and a nervous looking boy with pink hair and glasses were admiring a large machine that lay broken in the middle of the room. The girl was looking at it in glee, while the pink haired boy was snapping some photos of it with his camera. Off to the side, watching them in amusement, was a black haired girl who looked pretty cute.

"The blonde one? That's Sonia, Peko's sister." Ryoko told her after a peek round the door. "Yes, she's a princess. A few years ago, a small civil war broke out in her country, and it was Sonia who helped out by building and fixing her military's tanks and planes. That's why they call her the Ultimate Engineer. But you see that boy? He's Souda Kazuichi, Ultimate Photographer. He's quite quiet and nervous, but he seems to like Sonia a lot. The other girl? That's Ibuki Mioda, Ultimate Traditional Dancer. If you can call her style traditional though...Come on, there's one last student to meet."

Ryoko dragged her away quietly and took her towards the top of a cliff. She pointed at a distant figure. Despite being far away, Natsumi knew who it was immediately. A tan girl wearing only black trousers and a bunch of wrappings around her chest. She also knew that the girl also had a dragon tattoo that went across her back and her left arm. Why did she know this stuff? Simple, that girl was her sworn enemy.

Akane Owari, Ultimate Yakuza.

With a growl, Natsumi stalked forwards, intent of having 'words' with Akane, before it suddenly went dark. A glance at the sky revealed why.

It had suddenly become tinged a deep red.

"Oh...that is NOT good..." she heard Ryoko beside her.

 ** _END_**

* * *

 ** _Notes:_**

 _Timeline_

 _Takes place sometime after Chapter 6 and just at the point of SDR2's beginning chapter. As of right now, this is the furthest point in the timeline until some future chapters._

 _Natsumi Kuzuryuu_

 _Finally, I reveal it! Though it's a open secret at this point. Like in canon, Natsumi is a member of a mafia clan and went to the Reserve Course in the hopes of joining her brother at Hope's Peak. The major difference here, is that she never knew Mahiru or Sato and was eventually selected to become part of the Kamakura Project, which she gleefully agreed to. Therefore, Natsumi's memory and personality were erased without her knowledge, and she became Izuru Kamakura. Personality wise, she is much less nastier than her canon self and much more idealistic. She is still pretty sarcastic at times though._

 _Ryoko Otonashi_

 _Another open secret as well. Developed by Chiaki Nanami, Chisa Yukizome, Sayaka Maizono and the real-life Ryoko Otonashi, she is an AI counterpart to Junko Enoshima. She watches over the students within the Neo-World Program alongside Usami, but it seems something has gone rather wrong...She replaces the Chiaki Nanami AI in this verse, since the true Chiaki is still alive._

 _Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu_

 _Natsumi's brother and the Ultimate Gymnast. Unlike in canon, here, he took up gymnastics as a way to relive stress and help build up his rather small stature. Eventually, he grew to be so talented, he was accepted into HPA. His personality is this same in canon, though he is a bit more playful and relaxed around his sister._

 _Hajime Hinata_

 _Exactly the same as in canon, except he won a place at HPA as the Ultimate Lucky Student. While there, he eventually began a relationship with Chiaki Nanami that became strained after he fell into Despair. His personality is the same, but he is not as down on himself thanks to Chiaki's help._

 _Nagito Komaeda_

 _Rather unlike his canon self, Nagito never manifested any sort of miraculous luck either good or bad and his parents were still alive at the time of his entrance into HPA. In fact, he has only had one piece of bad luck in his life, when he was diagnosed with a dangerous disease that turned his hair white. In order to put his mind off things, he took up cooking and eventually became a master-class chef, a title he thinks he is not good enough for. He is the Ultimate Chef._

 _Peko Pekoyama-Nevermind_

 _The Ultimate Princess and adopted sister of Sonia Nevermind, after she was found by the king and queen of Novoselic as a baby in the wilds. She can be quite strict and stubborn, but has a softer side that normal shows itself around her sister and close friends. She loves her sister more than life and would do anything to protect her._

 _Teruteru Hanamura_

 _Still a pervert, made worse by his talent as the Ultimate Breeder. He often uses animal puns and various facts he knows about them in an attempt to seduce anyone around him. He grew up in the countryside where he looked after animals he found injured in the wild. While his family still owns a restaurant, he leaves the cooking to his younger siblings, focusing on taking care of his beloved pets._

 _Nekomaru Nidai_

 _The Ultimate Musician, known for his soul-pounding music that he plays with his drums. He was born with a heart defect that left him bedridden for most of his life. To pass the time, he enjoyed composing rhythms and beats. When he was realised from hospital, he instantly acquired a drumkit and rocketed to fame. Despite having a heart condition, he also like to exercise, leading to his muscle-bound physique._

 _Henso Hattori_

 _A shy boy who is called the Ultimate Animator. He was once manipulated by Mukuro Ikubusa into creating a brainwashing video which led him to Despair. In canon, he was the Ultimate Imposter. In reference to this his name is a combination of 'Henso', Japanese for 'disguise' and Hattori, after Hattori Hanzo, a famous ninja._

 _Gundham Tanaka_

 _Still a bit of a self-proposed Dark Lord who became the Ultimate Team Manager, even though he dislikes sports. He is often considered rather strict and scary, but he is actually a very kind man. He often coaches Hiyoko in her swordplay._

 _Hiyoko Saionji_

 _A genius swords-master despite her diminutive size who was once a dancer for her famous family. At some point, she took up swordplay, and fused her dancing style with her movements in swordfighting becoming an expert in the art. Personality-wise, she is mostly the same, but less of a bully and more of a sadist. She is good friends with Mahiru and Gundham._

 _Mahiru Koizumi_

 _The Ultimate Nurse who was raised by her father since her mother was absent. Her father, a famous doctor, inspired her to become a nurse to help others in need. She has the same canon personality, but does not dislike men. She is good friends with Hiyoko and Gundham._

 _Souda Kazuichi_

 _A nervous wreck compared to his canon self. He was raised in an abusive household and avoided family situations by going outside and taking photographs. He has very big trust issues, but once he finds a loyal friend, he sticks close to them. He has a crush on Sonia, because he admires her strong nature._

 _Sonia Nevermind_

 _Princess of Novoselic, who looked up to the British monarch, Elizabeth II. Inspired by the queen's actions in WW2, Sonia became a certified engineer when a civil war broke out in the country and helped save her country from certain doom. She loves her adoptive sister very much and hopes that she would become the next ruler instead, so Sonia can focus on her inventions. She is the Ultimate Engineer._

 _Ibuki Mioda_

 _Ultimate Traditional Dancer who sometimes adds bizarre and outlandish moves to her performances. This led to an unique style popular around the world, and she was scouted out for HPA. She has exactly the same personality as in canon, with no differences._

 _Akane Owari_

 _Born into a poor household with many siblings, she turned towards the Yakuza for help and eventually rose to become the leader of her clan from a lowly Servant. She has a rival in Natsumi and they both dislike each other. Her personality is much less brazen and she is not very nice towards people at all. She is also quite strong and is believed to have actually killed people before._


	11. Future

**_AN:_** ** _EDIT 29/07/17:_** _Thanks to those who responded! I have redone Chapter 3, 5 and 8 to fit in with the new direction that I am taking Junko's character. Please read those chapters again to get a new feel for her nature._

 _ **OLD AN:** Hey all, you may notice this a reupload of Chapter 11. Why? Well, I wasn't very happy about a certain development I included in, so I've gone ahead and retconned some events. Also, I wanted to ask a question from you all._

 _Do you think my version of Junko is a good person? I've been feeling a little uneasy about how I've portrayed her character. I've always intended for this Junko to be a truly good individual who wants to save everyone, but I feel that with the whole 'Hope Plan' thing I've effectively ruined her whole story and sort of devalued her. After all, why would a good person be willing to commit horrible deeds? Even then, why would people like Chiaki or Monaca espouse Junko's ideals, when they know what sort of person she was? I feel it makes them hypocritical._

 _Anyway, let me know what you think. Even if it's a small sentence like, 'I think Junko is good' or a longer paragraph, just let me know. Either drop in a review or PM me._

 _Thanks for listening to me ramble!_

 _Chiaki's back! A short and sweet chapter, to break up the long one from last time._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: All copyrighted materials belong to their respective creators and are not owned by me._

* * *

 ** _Did The Messiah Descend From Heaven To Bring Hope?_**

 _ **by Anju Addams**_

* * *

 _"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."_

 _\- Eleanor Roosevelt (1844-1962)_

* * *

 ** _Future_**

Chiaki Nanami had decided she did not like watching the Neo-World Program. Watching her very own boyfriend, someone who had once been corrupted by Despair, go through such terrible events, wasn't easy. But, there was nothing she could do Sure, Ryoko was there in the machine with them, but Despair was unpredictable, unknowable. When the Future Foundation learned that Kamakura had implanted an AI version of Mukuro Ikubusa into the machine, it was already too late. They could not help from the outside in fear of what the Ultimate Despair would do.

Since then, a few days had passed by and several murders had already been pulled off. Right now, she was watching as Hajime and Ryoko worked together with the former Kamakura, Natsumi Kuzuryuu, to find the murderer of the Ultimate Photographer, Souda Kazuichi. While Chiaki already knew who had done it, she had no way of telling Ryoko without alerting Mukuro's suspicion. Instead, the group inside would have to solve it themselves.

Still, it was hard to watch.

Taking shifts had helped though, and she was currently covering for the other classmate of hers that had escaped Despair, the Ultimate Imposter, Ryota Mitarai. Like her, he'd been a big help to the Future Foundation, being able to infiltrate and spy on several of the more violent Despair factions. In fact, it was with his help, that the former Class 77-B was able to be captured at all.

The neurologist was glad he had survived, his familiar face had put her at ease in the early days when Chisa and Sayaka had been busy with their own divisions. Even if he didn't think it, the boy had truly been a good comrade.

She was brought out of her thoughts, when the door opened behind her. Taking a quick glance, she came face to face with her coworker, Sayaka Maizono, who'd programmed the Neo-World Program. It looked like she'd just woken up as well, since she was only wearing a small white polo shirt which had probably once belonged to Naegi.

"Chiaki," Sayaka yawned. "Is everything going alright? Getting enough sleep?" It was an familiar question to Chiaki now. In the time spent since the Mutal Killing Game and gaining a boyfriend in the form of Naegi Makoto, Sayaka had really matured as a person, becoming a much more pleasurable person to be around who actually seemed to care about others.

"I'm fine, I think?" Chiaki told her. "My narcolepsy hasn't been too bad since I tried out that new medicine that Ruruka made. She practically forced it down my throat. It seems to be working well, I haven't fallen asleep for a couple of hours now. It used to be every five minutes..."

Sayaka's food covered lips turned up in a genuine smile. "That's good," she said. "I'm glad. I heard from Naegi earlier about what's going on. I do hope we can stop Mukuro..." she trailed off.

Chiaki smiled. "We don't have to worry about anything, we just have to have Hope. I'm sure of it. I'm sure that Hinata, Natsumi and everyone else, will make it out just fine. We just have to keep at it and work our best." she looked back at her desk, towards a small photograph in a black frame that she always kept there. One of her most precious memories in the world. "That's what they would have wanted. Isn't that right, you two?"

But the two people in the photograph, one a red haired pig-tailed girl in a white hoodie and the other, a sad looking girl with long messy black hair in a large 'Pac-Man' shirt, did not answer. After all, they were just images on a sheet.

An old memory.

Still, Chiaki studied the two figures there as she did nearly every day.

The girl with the red hair was smiling gently towards the camera, one of her hands resting on the shoulder of the other girl who looked like she was trying to turn invisible and cry at the same time. Chiaki knew though, that if she looked closer, she could see the tiny smile on the shy girl's face.

"I still miss them every day," Chiaki told Sayaka without looking around. "They were such good friends to each other. Both of them were shining lights in a dark, bleak world. They truly were the incarnations of Hope," she continued. "And here we are, fulfilling their dream. I'm sure that wherever they are, they are smiling down at us...I think?"

Behind her, Sayaka giggled. "Yes, I think they are...since the future they wanted is coming true. That's what we have to do in times like this. Look to the future for a better tomorrow. In the end, everything will turn out alright."

Chiaki agreed. But for now, she had to continue watching over those who were in need of help. She gave the photo on her desk, a small, gentle caress before turning back to the screen.

 _Sayaka is right,_ she thought, _everything will turn out just right..._

 ** _END_**

* * *

 ** _Notes:_**

 _Timeline_

 _Takes place a few days after the last chapter as we are now about halfway into SDR2. In comparison to that game, we are somewhere around the third case. In this universe, the victim was Souda Kazuichi._

 _Island Killing Game_

 _So, here's the retcon. I felt that making the IKG a joint effort between Kamakura and the Future Foundation to stop Despair was too stupid and made the Future Foundation look incompetent. Not to mention, undermining the creators of the Neo-World Program, since in canon, the machine worked fine and saved everyone. Therefore, in this new offical retcon, the Neo-World Program would have been able to cure the Despairs if Kamakura had not interfered, for the same reasons in SDR2 canon. Basically, the machine functions as it does in canon, with Ryoko added in to boost the success rate._


	12. Fascination

**_AN:_** _I'm not dead! I'm back with a new chapter after working on another project of mine. For those of you unaware and didn't reread the last chapter, some updates have occurred regarding Junko's characterization and I would strongly advise you to reread Chapter 3, 5 and 8 for the new way this story will be moving forwards._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: All copyrighted materials belong to their respective creators and are not owned by me._

* * *

 ** _Did The Messiah Descend From Heaven To Bring Hope?_**

 ** _by Anju Addams_**

* * *

 _"The fascination for me is searching the unknown for a mystery."_

 _\- Clive Cussler (1931-)_

* * *

 _ **Fascination**_

If you were to ask Yasuke Matsuda, average middle school student, what he liked most of all, he could only answer with one thing. That thing, or rather, person, happened to be his dearly beloved girlfriend, Junko Enoshima. To the people who knew him, it came as no surprise, as the pair had been friends since childhood. Junko had always been there for him, especially when his mother had fallen sick and passed away, and even though she'd forgotten her entire life in that tragic accident and was effectively a different person altogether, he still loved her. Even if she was a blithering idiot who had no regard for her own safety at times.

That much would never change.

Sure, before the accident, she'd been absolutely intolerable for anyone that wasn't him, and a vicious bully who reveled in tormenting her own sister, but she was Junko. He'd been fascinated by those facts, the way she thought and acted. So, slowly, over time, he realized he had actually fallen in love with her, truly and deeply. At that time, however, the pair were still children and the hopes of Junko falling in love with him was pretty low, at least until she became a teenager, so he'd had to make do with being the best friend he could be, even if it meant taking part in some of her little schemes.

Then the accident had happened and his life was changed, irreversibly forever.

After the death of his mother, whose memory had deteriorated thanks to that damn neurological disorder she'd had, he'd devoted himself towards the science of the brain, trying to figure out just how it worked, how it was all put together. He'd spent night after night, researching countless books, including several by the youngest person to gain a doctorate in the field, a girl exactly his age named Nanami. After all that, he was sure that his path towards becoming a doctor himself was set in stone.

On that day, however, on that nightmarish, heartbreaking day, he saw just how wrong he was.

It was the image of his Junko, and her tiny childish little body sprawled out on the road, head split open like a melon, pink blood, and bits of brain matter surrounding her, that had been seared into his head. Anytime he closed his eyes, he could remember it vividly, the way she lay there, the screams of Mukuro as she frantically called for an ambulance. He still didn't know what had truly happened, but what he saw was enough.

Enough to traumatize him.

Unable to ever look at a brain again without having tremors.

But it was Junko who had truly changed. With the erasure of her entire childhood, she'd reverted back to a babyish state, unable to care for herself. Miraculously, she'd retained the ability to speak, read and write and after about a year of extensive care, she was back to normal. Kind of. The car accident had done so much damage, that her personality had done a complete one eighty. She was no longer cruel or even spoke about Despair. Instead, she was a lot warmer, sweeter, kinder. A person who liked, genuinely caring for people. He had admitted to himself, guiltily, that he actually preferred this Junko compared to her old self.

In fact, the only person who hadn't taken the new Junko too well was her sister, who he supposed was feeling that it was all her fault. She'd grown more and more colder and eventually ran away from home. He didn't know what had happened while she'd been gone, but a few months ago, she'd suddenly reappeared at her parent's house like nothing had ever happened. A tearful reunion from Junko later, and the girl had remained at home ever since.

It was quite bizarre, but not unwelcome. Junko had her sister back and that was all that mattered.

He continued to think as he watched that very same girl sat by his side. That was where he'd been for the last few hours, sat inside Junko's pink painted bedroom. In fact, everything in her room, from her television, to her bedspread was coloured a bright cheerful pink. Honestly, sometimes when the colour caught his eye, he twitched, still affected by the sight he still saw in his nightmares. But, he'd did not want to think about that now. No, he just needed to talk to Junko. Unfortunately, she'd been rather busy, at least in her words, playing one of those online games on her PlayStation 3. She'd been at it for nearly five hours now, playing with the one friend she'd made through the internet.

Yasuke did not know her name, nor had ever met the girl Junko called a friend, but he did know that she was huge nervous wreck who could barely walk a foot out of her own room, instead, devoting her entire life to video games or talking to Junko. Actually, ever since the pair had become friends, he hadn't spent much time with his girlfriend, something that made him just a little bit jealous.

"Junko," he called over to her, watching as she gave him her full attention by pausing her game. "Are we alright to talk? In private, I mean," he added quickly, with a glance at the television. There were a few seconds of silence, before the third person listening in, understood what he meant.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry!" the squeaky voice of Junko's friend echoed through the television's speakers. "Sorry for disturbing you! It's my fault, all my fault! I-I'll just go now..." There was a muffled sob and a click that signified the disconnection of her microphone. Relaxed, Yasuke looked back at Junko, who now seemed angry.

"Yasuke..." she said in a warning tone. "Don't be nasty to her. She gets very upset when you do that." Yasuke winced. It was not often that Junko got angry, but when it did, he was always a little wary. Wary, that she would somehow snap back into her old personality. Not once had she done though, and it seemed this time she wouldn't either. He responded by giving her a light tap on the forehead.

"Idiot. I'm not that stupid." he scolded. "Besides, I needed her gone. It's quite serious." Junko set her controller down on the bed and turned fully towards him, giving him her full attention. Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down, Yasuke continued. "I'm applying for that new Reserve Course that's starting at Hope's Peak Academy. It's pretty expensive and it'll take most of the inheritance I got from my mother. I just wanted to ask, do you think I'm making the right decision? I know you've been trying to help with my tremors, but it's not working. I'll never become a neurologist, and I know that at Hope's Peak, I'll at least have a chance after graduation. So, what do you think?"

His girlfriend sent him a smile that made his heart truly melt. "I think it's a wonderful idea! You'll do good at that school, I know you will! Plus, you might make some new friends, and who knows, you might find another talent. If your heart guides you in that direction, then go for it. I'll always support you, Yasuke, no matter what! I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you."

It felt like a heavy weight had lifted off his chest, and he blushed a little. "Thanks, you idiot. I love you too."

 ** _END_**

* * *

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Timeline_

 _Currently, the earliest point in the timeline, taking place one year before Yasuke joins Hope's Peak Academy as a Reserve Course Student at the same time as Class 77-B. Mukuro has recently returned from FENRIR and is currently working on her Despair Plan. Junko's parents are also still alive at this point too. Yasuke is about sixteen, while Junko is about fifteen._

 _Yasuke Matsuda_

 _Because of glimpsing the results of the car 'accident' that affected Junko, Yasuke Matsuda was traumatized and could no longer continue his work as an upcoming Neurologist. Though the reborn Junko tried to help him, and even though he saw many therapists, the damage done was undoable. He could never become a Neurologist. Lost at what to do for the future, he decided to use his inheritance to enter Hope's Peak Academy to see if he could come up with an idea. Personality-wise, he acts more like he did with Ryoko when he's around Junko, but in a more teasing fashion. He and Junko are currently dating._

 _Junko's Gaming Buddy_

 _A friend that Junko met online while gaming, who is a gaming fanatic. Not much is told about her, but she is known to have been bullied by her peers and abused by her family, to the point of holing herself in her room for life, never leaving. To escape from her situation, she turned to videogames and quickly became a star player. There are rumors that Hope's Peak Academy want to recruit her as the Ultimate Gamer. She is extremely shy, has a massive guilt complex and hates herself. She also has a large crush on Junko, who was the first person to ever be kind to her. Even so, she is happy for Junko and Yasuke._


	13. Funeral

**_AN:_** _A sad chapter this time, I'm afraid._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: All copyrighted materials belong to their respective creators and are not owned by me._

* * *

 ** _Did The Messiah Descend From Heaven To Bring Hope?_**

 ** _by Anju Addams_**

* * *

 _"Don't forget. Always, somewhere, someone is fighting for you. As long as you remember her, you are not alone."_

 _\- Puella Magi Madoka Magica_

* * *

 _ **Funeral**_

It was raining outside the building. Of course, it would be raining.

 _After all,_ Chiaki Nanami thought, _it is the last funeral._

Or, funerals, plural.

One long week of burying both the victims and the killers of the Mutal Killing Game that had taken place only three months ago, they were finally at the end. It had taken a lot of tears, a lot of sadness, but they had made it through. Chiaki herself had not been as close to the deceased members of Class 78 unlike the rest of the survivors, and she'd mostly just said a few platitudes before burying herself in finishing up the Neo-World Program. However, it was these last three funerals that she could not avoid no matter what. No, she was sure that after these funerals were over, she'd be crying herself to sleep.

The funeral that was going on, right now, was the one for Junko Enoshima. In fact, it wasn't just her funeral, but the funeral of one of her classmates, and Junko's closest friend, a girl she had met only once in her entire life, the Ultimate Gamer. She'd never even known the girl's name. Of course, there was another person being 'buried' today, the last, third person.

Mukuro Ikubusa. The one behind everything. Ultimate Despair.

Chiaki was one of the few Future Foundation employees who had actually fought against Mukuro's funeral, on the grounds of the monstrous things she had put them all through and of course, destroying the entire world. In her eyes, the demon-spawn did not deserve a decent grave, but Munakata and the Class of 78 had outvoted the protestors. Although, rather amusingly, one of the said protesters had been Juzo Sakakura, who'd changed tune when Munakata had threatened him with sleeping on the couch. Chiaki still attempted to dissuade the event from happening but nothing had come of it, and here she was, watching, with about thirty other people. So, with an internal sigh, she just kept staring at those three coffins, all lined up side by side. All of them closed.

There was a reason for that.

When the Future Foundation had recovered the bodies of Junko and her sister, there hadn't been much left that looked presentable. In Mukuro's case, apparently, she was missing random body parts, ranging from an eye to even an arm. The rumor was, that the Soldiers of Despair had taken parts of her body for themselves in some sick twisted ritual. A rumor that was backed up by the state of Junko's own body.

Despite being crushed from her execution, she'd been in surprisingly good shape. However, when the school was infiltrated and the bodies discovered, it was found that someone else had gotten their hands on it first, probably several of the soldiers. It looked as if someone had struck it repeatedly with a large baseball bat, set it on fire, carved it up with a large knife, strangled it and worst of all, most disgustingly of all, there were traces of...DNA found on and in her body, from some twisted individual who clearly had a fetish for necrophilia. It was enough to make Chiaki vomit several times when she'd heard the news. She was just gratefully that Junko was actually dead in that case and that the sample had not come from Hinata.

But it was the other girl's body which was truly a marvel. The Ultimate Gamer's corpse, found frozen in rigor mortis, had still been standing up, pushing against a thick metal door that had once led to the school kitchen. When removing her body, several loud thuds from inside the room had alerted them, and they rushed inside, guns blazing, to find Nagito Komeada, one the Soldiers of Despair who'd been reported missing from the very start of the Tragedy. Apparently, he'd somehow survived thanks to the kitchen's generous stack of food, and he'd been captured and taken back to the Future Foundation, where he was put into a cryogenic sleep along with the bodies so that they could be extracted at a later date.

But it wasn't finding Nagito that was interesting or an outright miracle. That came from the state of the Ultimate Gamer's body. According to the Ultimate Coroner, who'd overseen the autopsy of the bodies, the poor girl had stab wounds, spear wounds, countless bruises, and internal bleeding. Even more extreme was that every single bone in her body, including her legs and arms, had been broken. Similarly, every organ inside her body including her heart had been pierced more than once, by several bullets or knives. Even the Ultimate Coroner was awestruck by that because they'd reported, sounding quite stunned, that all of the damage had been inflicted on her while she was alive, and that she'd died several DAYS later after the last wound, a bullet to the lungs.

It sounded impossible, but it was the truth. It had happened. Chiaki was devastated. Learning that the person who'd risked their life for you and your friends to escape the hellhole that had become Hope's Peak Academy, had gone through all that and remained alive for days afterward, was heart-wrenching. The girl must have been in absolute agony, and yet, she'd soldiered on, saving as many lives as she could.

"Um...hello everyone," A voice called out, distracting Chiaki who raised her head to see two girls at the front of the crowd. "I have a few words to say, so if you'd please stay quiet. Thank you."

They were two people that Chiaki knew very well and had met quite a lot through Chisa's therapy sessions. Both of them had once been students at Hope's Peak and part of the Student Council before Mukuro Ikubusa blackmailed them into murdering each other. Only they had survived the onslaught by playing dead, and they'd escaped the school to join up with the Future Foundation. The first girl, the tallest one and the one who had spoken, had long red hair that flared out rather strangely and piercing yellow eyes. She was also leaning on a crutch due to an old leg injury caused by Mukuro, which had never healed. Her name was Kotomi Ikuta, the Ultimate Student Council Vice President.

The second girl was seated down, seeing as she was much smaller. She was wearing a rather bizarre hoodie that Chiaki had recognized as one that resembled Pikachu. Not only that, her eyes happened to be two different shades, one blue and one green. Strapped to the side of her body was a colostomy bag that had become a permanent fixture on the girl ever since she'd been stabbed in the gut by someone she had trusted. Her name was Aiko Umesawa, the Ultimate Collecting Fanatic. Apparently, she'd gotten that title from collecting every piece of Pokemon merchandise that had ever been made.

"Anyway, thank you all for coming today." Kotomi continued. "I know it's been a terrible few days, but we're nearly through. I came up here today, alongside Aiko, to talk about Mukuro Ikubusa." Several people in the crowd surrounding Chiaki, grimaced and muttered to themselves. Kotomi ignored them. "Mukuro was a strange person, a person we don't know much about. She hated Junko, that's for certain, and she was absolutely insane. She killed my friends, your friends, our families, just for Despair. No sane person does that. But, we can all count ourselves lucky to be alive." she tapped her injured leg for emphasis. "Mukuro did this to me, shooting me in the leg so that I would be an 'easier target' just because I refused to kill. I'm lucky to be alive too. Just remember that we all survived and we are stronger." She stopped for a few minutes and turned towards Mukuro's coffin. "I don't have anything to say to you Mukuro, other than this. I hope you honestly rot in hell, for what you did, I really, really do. So, goodbye and good riddance." She leaned over clumsy to press a button on the side of the shelf the coffin was laid atop, and a jet of fire burst out around the coffin.

Chiaki and everyone else, watched in silence, as the last remnants of Mukuro Ikubusa and her final resting places, burnt into ashes. Finally, all could breathe a sigh of relief. She was finally gone. It was nearly over, and Hope would be restored to the world.

Kotomi bowed. "Thank you again, for letting me say those words. Now, I know that we have a member of our group who wants to come up and say a few words about Junko. Please welcome, the head of the 7th Branch, our very own Ultimate Therapist, Chisa Yukizome." A polite clap rippled through the crowd as Kotomi and Aiko stepped down, and Chisa took her place on the stage. She still looked exactly the same to Chiaki, she was even still wearing that awful fluffy sweater.

The therapist gave a cheerful wave, but everyone knew she was holding back tears. "Thank you for that kind introduction Kotomi. I have a few words I'd like to say about Junko and her friend too. You know lately, I've seen a lot of people praising Junko or sometimes even worshipping her. I've met many people who thought that she must have been the Messiah, or even an angel from heaven, sent to save us all. But, I don't think she was. Junko didn't want any of that. She just wanted to help people, and that made her happy. She was the sort of person who liked you, for you. She was kind and caring, and even though she went through a lot of trouble, she kept smiling. I'm not saying that she always smiled of course because there were times in her life when she cried or got mad. I know, because I was there for those times. But, she did save us. It was thanks to her that the Future Foundation exists, it was thanks to her for the creation of our AI program, it was thanks to her, that most of us are here today. But, she's gone now and we have to fend for ourselves, it's OUR turn to do what Junko did for us. Our time to help. So, thank you, Junko, for all that you did. I hope that wherever you are, you are happy."

Chiaki discreetly wiped a few tears away from her cheeks, as Chisa moved on.

"Now, it's your turn," she said to the final coffin. "The person in here is someone none of us here, ever knew. She was a fellow student at Hope's Peak Academy, but she never came to classes, never came anywhere. Of what little we know, she grew up in a bad place. She was bullied and abused and stayed in her room playing games because it was the only place she felt safe. She could have fallen to Despair but then she met Junko. The two, by all accounts, were close friends and spent a lot of time together. It was thanks to that friendship, that our little Ultimate Gamer, saved our lives. Inspired by the actions of her closest friend, she helped me, Sayaka and Chiaki escape Hope's Peak when the Tragedy started. She sacrificed her life to save us, even though she had never met us. None of us even knew her name. But she saved us, out of the kindness of her heart. A true ray of Hope. So, thank you too, Junko's friend. We all hope you will rest in peace." She turned back to the crowd, all of whom stood up as one.

"Thank you, Junko!" they cried. "Thank you, Ultimate Gamer! Thank you!"

Chiaki raised her head into the bright sky as the two coffins were gently lowered into the ground.

 _Huh,_ she thought to herself, _the rain cleared up. The sky...looks nice. Wait...Is that? Ah, it is!_

There as bright as day, hung across the vividly purple sky cleared of clouds, was a beautiful rainbow.

 ** _END_**

* * *

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Timeline_

 _Takes place about three months after the end of the Mutal Killing Game and three months before Chapter 6. The Soldiers have not yet been captured, bar Komeda, and the Neo World is still being worked on._

 _Kotomi Ikuta_

 _Future Foundation member who works in the 7th division with Aiko. She was once a member of HPA and the vice president of the student council. During the events of the Proto-Killing Game, she was shot in the leg by Mukuro for protesting against her. Somehow, despite this injury, she survived and eventually left HPA. Her leg was badly crippled by the bullet however and she needs a crutch to get around. She was the Ultimate Student Council Vice President._

 _Aiko Umesawa_

 _Ultimate Collecting Fanatic who is a huge Pokemon fan. She collected every bit of merchandise, which led to her title. Once a HPA student on the council, she was stabbed in the gut during the Proto-Killing Game. Surviving by playing dead, she had an emergency operation in which she need a colostomy bag because her inner guts were too damaged to function properly. She is a 7th branch member with Kotomi._


	14. Fainéant

**_AN:_** _Hey, I'm sorry for the late chapter. Been super busy with life and stuff. On that note, how are you enjoying V3? As someone who has known the entire plot since January when it was released in Japan, I'm interested in your opinions._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: All copyrighted materials belong to their respective creators and are not owned by me._

* * *

 ** _Did The Messiah Descend From Heaven To Bring Hope?_**

 ** _by Anju Addams_**

* * *

 _"Ooh, look at me pretending I'm so smart by putting an 'enlightening' quote here. How more pretentious can you get?"_

 _\- Sayaka Maizono (Ultimate Hacker)_

* * *

 _ **Fainéant**_

Sayaka Maizono was a lonely person. She'd always been that way. It was just how things were. Not that she minded anyway because she wasn't much of a people person. She could say, quite honestly mind you, that she much preferred the familiar company of computer screens. In any case, she couldn't bring herself to care in the slightest about over people, and probably wouldn't have put in the effort anyway. Everything was just so...tiring. What was the point in doing anything that took actual physical effort? Hacking and Programming were so much easier. Plus, she didn't need to move at all.

That was something she had realized long ago after all when she'd seen those idol groups on TV and declared that she was going to be one. At least until she'd noticed that she would actually have to get up from her seat and DO something. That wasn't up to her tastes. In the end, she remained in her bedroom, on her computer, as her ever-distant mother pushed meals through the door. Even then, she would forgo eating them, leaving the rotting food to pile up more and more, filling the room with quite frankly, one of the most disgusting smells in the world, made worse by the unwashed sweat and gunk on her body. But, she didn't care. Why should she? It was too much effort. Too, too much. Then her mother had, in an attempt to get her daughter out of the house, enrolled her in a middle school. How the woman had done it, with Sayaka's non-existent grades or any schoolwork to show at all, she didn't know. Nor did she care. Nothing would change, and she wouldn't go anyway.

Of course, something had to change. It was just her luck, that it had to be that naïve, clumsy rich boy, Makoto Naegi.

"H-Hello," the boy mumbled on the day he barged into her bedroom. "I'm Naegi Makoto. The school sent me to come get you since we're in the same class." Sayaka fixed him with a dead-eyed stare as he 'subtly' tried to cover his nose from the rancid smell of her room. At that point, she hadn't bothered with him, even if she was a little bit curious. She knew who he was after all. The infamous heir to the Naegi Family Conglomerate. She'd once hacked into their systems in an attempt to find anything she could use to blackmail them down the line, in case she needed a favour, but she'd found nothing suspicious.

Nothing, nada, zip, zilch.

There was not a single thing about the conglomerate that wasn't already publicly known. No secret dealings, no bribes to the government, no sinister plots. Not anything. The true nature of the company was exactly as they had portrayed themselves to the world. Nothing more and nothing less. They truly were the benevolent company they espoused themselves to be. It was impossible, inconceivable, but there it was for all to see. And the person standing in her room was the heir to the whole thing.

"Hmm..." she grumbled. "What's a rich idiot like you doing in a public school? I thought you wouldn't want to be seen by mere commoners." Naegi turned to her, face aghast. It quickly turned a funny shade of red as well.

"That's wrong!" he declared with a dramatic pointing of his finger. "You should say stuff like that. No matter if we are rich or poor, all are equal. That's my belief!" Sayaka snickered under her breath. So he was a humanitarian. So what? She didn't care. "Anyway," the brown-haired boy continued. "You are my classmate. Is it wrong for me to be worried about you? Besides, I wanted to meet you." He said that last part a little hesitantly.

"Oh, and why is that?" She hadn't had any personal visitors unless you counted her clients on the internet. Still, they had never met her in real-life.

"Well because I'm a huge fan of yours. I remembered your name from the end credits." Unseen to him, her eyes opened wide. "You had your voice put in Vocaloid right?" Sayaka was rather shellshocked. No one had ever mentioned that to her, not even her internet 'buddies'. No one had ever known nor cared that she'd helped the Vocaloid team to create a new character and lent her voice to it. She still carried her dream of being an idol in her heart, even if she could never fulfill it. So when the team had contacted her, she'd snapped up the chance on the agreement that she would BE that character. Now, here was someone who said they had remembered her, not for her hacking, but for the one thing she'd done, simply on a whim. It was kind of...touching. In fact, she felt her heart beat a little faster and her cheeks becoming flush.

Naegi shrank back from her gaze as she fixed it on him. "I-I'm sorry if I upset you. I guess you don't like that you were in the game right?"

For the first time in a long time, Sayaka Maziono smiled. A real smile. "No problem...thank you very much." She meant it too.

"Great! I'm glad. I hope we can become friends." Naegi cheered before reaching for one of the hundreds of plastic bottles filled with liquid on her desk. "Can I have a drink? I'm a bit thirsty."

Sayaka snorted. "Sure. But that's not water or soda." He was a bit oblivious, wasn't he?

"Eh?"

"Think about it. I haven't left this seat in a long time." She turned to smirk at him sinisterly. "Not even for the toilet."

The bottle fell from his grasp as he frantically tried to wipe his hands on his suit. Sayaka chuckled. "Ew, Ew, Ew..."

Maybe, just maybe, she could get to like this Naegi Makoto.

 ** _END_**

* * *

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Timeline_

 _Officially at this point, the earliest chapter in the timeline, taking place during Sayaka and Naegi's first year of middle school. Not much else to say here._


	15. Foundation

**_AN:_** _Another day, another chapter. Sorry for taking such a long break, I wanted to concentrate on work and other stories I have going. I've also been improving my writing so that it's not as awful as it used to be. A lot has happened in the long months since the last update, including getting very ill for a few weeks, being snowed in, and a week-long trip to Japan where I managed to visit Akihabara and see lots of DanganRonpa merchandise!_

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: All copyrighted materials belong to their respective creators and are not owned by me._

* * *

 ** _Did The Messiah Descend From Heaven To Bring Hope?_**

 ** _by Anju Addams_**

* * *

 _"Optimism is the foundation of courage."_

 _\- Nicholas M. Butler (1862-1947)_

* * *

 _ **Foundation**_

It would have been just another average day, barring the world-ending apocalypse going on outside and the bizarre antics of the Future Foundation members, if not for the news that had come flying in this morning on everyone's Personal Data Assistant, a device that had been developed from the remains of Mukuro Ikubusa's School Handbooks by the Ultimate Hacker, Sayaka Maizono and the Ultimate Therapist, Chisa Yukizome.

The message that had so rudely interrupted everyone's early morning sleep when it had appeared at 4 AM was to inform everyone that the organization's Branch Heads would be holding a meeting in the next few hours regarding the Soldiers of Despair, the remnants of Mukuro's last little army. Not only that, but the group would be joined by the head of the Towa Foundation, Monaca Towa and the current leader of the Naegi Family Conglomerate, Komaru Naegi, who were also involved in helping the world's recovery from the Tragedy. It was good news for some at least, but the others who'd read the message, and realized it wasn't anything to do with them, simply grumbled in frustration before going back to sleep.

For Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Affluent Prodigy and one of the survivor's of the Hope's Peak Killing Game, it was very good news indeed. After all, who wouldn't be happy when they were finally reunited with a long-lost family member? Well, maybe not Mukuro, the boy reasoned, but other than that, no one else would pass up this opportunity. Sure, he, like the rest of the Hope's Peak Killing Game survivors, apart from the literary genius Kyoko Kirigiri, wasn't a Branch Head, he was certain that the former Ultimate School Council President and the Future Foundation's Branch 2 Head, Kyosuke Munakata, would let him in. He had to see Komaru! While he'd known from the moment he joined the Foundation that his younger sister was alive and well, leading the family company through the Tragedy with ease, he hadn't been able to meet her in person for a long time. His only line of contact had been through a computer screen and via texts and emails and that certainly wasn't enough. To finally see her again, properly, was not something he wanted to miss.

So he'd rolled out of bed, gotten dressed up in his brand-new suit, after having grown out of his old one, and headed out from his designated room in order to head towards the meeting. He'd probably end up a little early, but that wasn't a problem, as long as he could see Komaru again. Since it was only the early hours of the morning, the corridors and hallways of the Future Foundation were quite quiet compared to the usual crowds in the day, thereby, making him surprised when a familiar voice called out in his direction.

"Yahoo! Naegi's here too, everyone!" the female voice cheered.

The young boy turned behind him to see the welcome sight of his blue-haired girlfriend, Sayaka Maizono, who looked remarkably clean for once. After the events at Hope's Peak and their newfound relationship with each other, she'd gone through a transformation of her own. She no longer wore the black and white shirt and shorts combo, opting instead for a much cleaner black skirt and a white shirt emblazoned with a picture of the character that she'd played in the Vocaloid franchise. She'd grown out her hair as well, and the tangled, greasy rat's nest it had been was replaced by a thick and well-groomed cut that fell past its previous length to trail behind her for several meters on the floor. While it was still the only part of her body that she actually had proper hygiene standards, for now, obvious by the food stains around her mouth and the smell of stale sweat permeating the air around her, her personality had also become a lot less abrasive and less lazy, making her a much more approachable person.

"Good morning, Sayaka!" he waved as she walked over, a welcome grin on her face. She threw a flirty wink in his direction and he felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. Their relationship, solid enough that he could actually call her his girlfriend, was still new enough that whatever slight advances she gave his way, be it flirting or lewd jokes, was rather uncomfortable. He just wasn't ready for the next level at the moment, and her teasing hadn't helped matters. He brushed those thoughts out of his mind before Sayaka could read them on his face. Ever since she'd begun joking by saying that she was an 'esper' and could read his mind, he'd never heard the end of it, especially given how scarily accurate she was at reading his facial expressions.

"Did you say that everyone's here too?" he asked instead. She didn't answer, only pointing one hand over her shoulder to show Naegi a small group of people that were also coming up the small corridor. Like Sayaka, he recognized them immediately, his former classmates, the survivors of that horrid killing game. In the lead was Kyoko Kirigiri, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy who was not wearing her trademark purple sweater anymore, having it replaced by black tights and a lavender sundress that did nothing to hide her bare arms, and thus, her burnt hands.

She had also cut her long violet hair into a smart bob around her cheeks, and a pair of glasses, frames the same colour as her dress, lay perched on the edge of her nose. Despite the physical changes she had gone through, she was still as quiet and stoic as ever, perhaps even more than she had been before, perhaps due to the loss of her best friend Chihiro, the other Ultimate with a writing ability to match her own. He'd died during the killing game, executed for the murder of Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the Ultimate Clairvoyant, a fact that had shaken Kyoko deeply. Still, she'd soldiered on and become the 14th Branch Head at the Foundation, after Asahina had turned down the position.

Speaking of the Ultimate Detective, she was coming up directly behind Kyoko, waving enthusiastically in his direction. In that regard, her optimistic and ditzy nature hadn't changed in the slightest, continuing to hide her true nature and genius-level intellect. When she'd first started at the Future Foundation, she'd continued to wear the Hope's Peak Academy Uniform for at least a year, before she'd been convinced to finally take it off.

Now she was wearing a familiar white hoodie and a pair of blue short shorts, showing off her long, toned legs. The white hoodie had once belonged to their friend, Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Hope, who'd given it to Asahina, the person closest to her, just days before she been killed at the end of the game by her own sister, with Asahina now wearing it in her memory, along with a white and red bow that she used to tie back her same-old ponytail, a part of her, alongside her red, chunky glasses that she hadn't changed at all.

Next to Asahina was the ever-odd Ultimate Martial Artist, Hifumi Yamada who was the least changed of all the classmates. While he was physically more muscular than he had been in the past and was no longer wearing his wrestling shorts and mask, opting instead for a smart-looking Future Foundation uniform suit, he was still rather strange, preferring to spend his time watching anime and reading manga which he claimed were 'inspiration' for his outlandish moves. Unlike the others, he often headed out on the more dangerous missions against the Despair faction still running around, a fact that made him an idol of several other members of the Foundation. Thankfully, he did not seem to be affected by the praise and letting it go to his head.

The last member of the group was perhaps the most famous of the group, as he was still performing for his loyal fanbase, of those that had remained alive. It was all in order to combat the efforts of the Ultimate Musician, Nekomaru Nidai and the Ultimate Traditional Dancer, Ibuki Mioda, both members of the Soldiers of Despair, and Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate Idol was more than happy with the task. His bright and spiky orange hair was now hanging down to his shoulders, and he'd finally gotten rid of the goatee for a much more dashing beard, that made many of his female fans, including his weird cousin, Kanon, very happy indeed. His white suit had remained, despite looking a little more flashy with all the glitter and sparkles he'd added, though he was now wearing a long black jacket with a faux fur collar.

"Good morning, Naegi." greeted Kyoko stoically.

"Morning!" cried Asahina cheerfully.

"A very nice morning it is, Naegi-dono!" Yamada commented.

"Yo, Naegi. Nice to see you, dude." Leon muttered. "You alright over there?"

"Ah, I'm fine, Leon," Naegi told the idol, scratching his head sheepishly. "I'm just excited to see Komaru is all." The rest of the group nodded, as Naegi was the last of them to be reunited with one of the living members of their family. Kyoko Kirigiri had been reunited with her grandfather early on, as he was a member of the Future Foundation and had come to meet them as they left Hope's Peak. Aoi Asahina's younger brother, Yuta, had been helping out in Towa City when Asahina had gone to meet with Monaca and the two had a tearful reunion that was almost as tearful as when Yamada had found his older sister, a famous boxer, holed up in the Radio Kaikan building in Akihabara, when he'd gone looking for his favourite entertainment. Apparently, she'd figured he'd show up eventually and simply waited around for him. It had also been found that one of Sayaka's older hacker friends, Ayaka Haneyama, had been helping the Future Foundation as well, along with Leon's biggest fan, and his cousin, Kanon.

"Ah, to be reunited with one's sister certainly is an exciting moment Naegi-dono," grinned Yamada as he flashed his glasses. "Treasure it in your heart, my friend! Hahaha!"

Naegi smiled at the martial artist, and then at all his friends. "Thank you, everyone. I mean it. Now, let's get to that meeting!" His grin grew wider when he heard their cries of agreement. It was wonderful, to have friends who loved him so much. He just wished that everyone else could be there to share it with him.

Even Mukuro.

* * *

"Makoto!" a green-haired young woman cried as the group stepped into the meeting room before she launched herself into his arms.

"I thought I'd never see you again! I'm so happy to see you." Naegi chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her in a brotherly hug. They stayed that way for a few silent minutes before the young woman pulled herself away reluctantly, letting Naegi study her.

Like he himself, his younger sister wore a suit, though hers was matched by a grey skirt instead of a pair of trousers. She'd also apparently let her hair grow out since the last time she saw him, with it now reaching the back of her shoulders, making her look significantly more mature, even if did keep the long, thin strand of hair on her head that had been shared by Naegi himself, and Junko Enoshima. It was probably because she was now in charge of their family's business after the death of their parents in the Tragedy until Naegi was able to take over himself. Naegi was happy to let her continue, however, as normal as she seemed, she was still an exceedingly good business-woman and an excellent company president. The Naegi Family Conglomerate's survival in the new world was a testament to that.

"It's wonderful to see you too, Komaru." Naegi agreed. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to meet with you sooner, I've been a bit busy. What with all the things I've had going on, I haven't had time to call you." Komaru didn't look mad and she simply gave him a happy smile.

"Oh, that doesn't matter," she waved her hand, unconcerned. "I just wanted to see you in person, and meet your friends," she told him before her smile turned teasing. "Though I did hear from someone that you may have a girlfriend now, Sayaka Maizono right? I always wanted to meet her." Oh, that was right, he remembered. Unlike himself, Komaru was quite a wizard on computers and had made a name for herself in the online world as a programmer. Because of that, she'd heard of the infamous Sayaka, and had proclaimed herself the hackers 'biggest fan.'

Sayaka stepped forward. "Hello," she said as politely as she could. "I'm Sayaka, Naegi's girlfriend." She appeared to regret it though when Komaru actually squealed and swept her up in a hug as well.

"Ohmygodareyougonnabemysisterinlaw!?" Naegi's sister cried giddily, as she finally let go of the hacker."IloveyourworksomuchdoyouthinkIcangetanautographpleaseplease!?"

As heartwarming I'm sure this reunion was," another voice in the room called out sarcastically, cutting off Sayaka's reply. "Can we get on with the meeting now? We're all here and I want to go back to bed. Damn Munakata for waking us up so early." The group of classmates and Komaru turned to see the 4th Branch Head, the Ultimate Pharmacist, Ruruka Ando, a young blonde woman dressed in a lab coat, that was lined with fur for some reason, and a pair of orange goggles.

Blinking in suprise, the group suddenly realized that they were not the only people in the room anymore. Standing beside Ruruka was the Ultimate Boxer and her boyfriend, Sonosuke Izayoi, a quiet muscular boy and the 6th Branch Head. He tended to stay by himself, or with Ruruka when she wasn't hanging around with her best friend, and Yamada and his sister, as they shared similar hobbies and fighting tips with each other. There was also another person standing close the Ruruka, a green-haired women wearing a black dress covered by an apron, a piece of cloth for a facemask and a pair of latex gloves. This was Ruruka's childhood friend, Seiko Kimura, the 5th Division Head and the Ultimate Housekeeper, an odd person who relentlessly attempted to clean everything almost every hour of every day.

"Don't moan Ruruka." said Chisa Yukizome, the 7th Branch Head as she walked over with another girl, this one in a wheelchair. Like Komaru and Seiko, she too had green hair, that was held back by a candy-cane striped headband. She was Miaya Gekkogahara, the Ultimate Confectioner, who was the 8th Branch Head. After an incident in her childhood that had left her mute, she only spoke through Usami, a Monokuma-like figure that had been created by Chisa to help with therapy sessions. Thankful for such a gift, she'd taken to following Chisa around, a fact the Ultimate Therapist did not seem to mind. The 3rd Branch Head, Koichi Kizakura, a notorious alcoholic and the former Hope's Peak Talent Scouter was following with the 10th Branch Head, the Ultimate Imposter, Ryota Mitari and the only other classmate of his to escape Despairification, the Ultimate Neurologist, Chiaki Nanami, at his heels.

"AHAHAHA!" a booming voice echoed around the large table situated in the middle. "ASKING RURUKA TO BE STOP MOANING, IS LIKE ASKING I, THE GREAT GOZU, TO BE QUIET!" That voice came from a tall, very heavyset man in a thick leather apron, wearing a mask in the shape of a bull over his face. It was the 9th Branch Head and the Ultimate Blacksmith, the self-proclaimed Great Gozu, a rather loud fellow who often liked to annoy Ruruka when she got a bit too insufferable. He himself was followed by the Ultimate Wrestler, another friend of Yamada's and a nice and gentle person who was the 12th Branch Head, Daisuke Bandai.

Ruruka growled at the others. "Don't say stuff like that, or I'll poison your coffee someday!" she threatened darkly. Seiko laid a hand on her friend's shoulder, who let out a huff before begrudgingly turning away to glare at the wall. Still if one looked closely, you could see a genuinely fond smile on her face. Apparently, due to her abrasive nature, she hadn't had any friends growing up, besides Izayoi and Seiko and she was, despite how she showed it, grateful her fellow Heads for accepting her as part of their little family.

"You are wrong though Ruruka," Another voice pierced the sudden silence. "We are not all here. Killer Killer is still missing. Has anyone seen them?" Everyone in the room collectively turned to the main doors to see the last few remaining Branch Heads and a welcome guest. First in, and the man who had spoke, was the Vice-President himself, Kyosuke Munakata, a silver-haired man who acted quite serious but was just as fond as Ruruka was with them. Next in was Juzo Sakakura, the 11th Branch Head, the Ultimate Farmer and Kyosuke's loyal boyfriend. He tended to have some anger management issues but tempered his violence around them if he could. The last pair in where very familiar faces, the Leader himself, a grandfatherly man named Kazou Tengan, and a young girl in a white dress, the Towa Foundation Head, Monaca Towa, who catching Komaru's eye, gave them all a quick wave. Munakata raised an eyebrow at the scene before turning to Izayoi. "What about you, Izayoi? Heard anything?"

Izayoi shrugged silently, before moving over to a large locker in a corner of the room, that usually kept various documents for the Foundation's perusal. Suddenly, wrenching his fist back, Izayoi slammed it into the steel door, denting the metal with superhuman strength. He stepped away from the ruined door, as it swung uselessly of its hinges and crashed to the floor before a bundle of clothes landed on top of it. "Nooooo!" the bundle cried out. "How did you find me?" Munakata sighed in exasperation.

"Get up, Asano," he told them. "We have important work to do." A few seconds of quivering later, and the bundle undid itself to reveal a young woman with blond hair cut into a bobble cut, dressed in what seemed to be a hospital gown. This was the infamous Killer Killer, Misaki Asano, a mass murderer who only went after other serial killers out of some weird twisted sense of justice. Around the members of the Future Foundation, she was known for being a polite and optimistic person, despite her nature and her inability to function socially without her handler, a young man named Takumi Hiijirihata, whom she had proclaimed 'scary', before going to hide in her favourite place, a locker, a frequent event that happened so much, no one was surprised by anymore.

"S-Sorry." she stuttered. "I was just tired." Munkata sighed a second time.

"Enough," he told them all, taking a seat at the table. "We have much to do and too little time. The Soldiers of Despair have all been captured with the help of Izura Kamakura, and now it is our job to work out what we do with them. Any ideas?"

Predictably, the room exploded into a furious clamour at once. Naegi sighed, and just hoped that they would listen to HIS idea.

 ** _END_**

* * *

 ** _Notes:_**

 _Timeline_

 _This chapter takes place just before the events of Chapter 6, as the Soldiers have all been captured and the Branch Heads are deciding what to do with them. But wait, you may say, didn't Monaca not know about the fact that Munakata was going to let them use the Neo-World Program in that chapter? Well, consider this a small retcon, in that she did know. I wanted her to be more interactive with the Foundation's plans anyway._

 _Komaru Naegi_

 _Here's Komaru finally, after only being mentioned once in the whole drabble set. Since the Naegi Family Conglomerate still exists, there needed to be a boss and that person was Komaru who's still mostly the same as she was in canon, but a little smarter and less self-doubting, though she has her moments. Since Touko is dead in this world, her closest friend is Monaca, though she remains a 'Sayaker' which means she is a tech-genius like her idol._

 _Warriors of Hope Hit List_

 _Since the Towa Foundation and the Warriors of Hope aren't evil, these guys are doing good. After a plan was hatched by the Towa Foundation to spring them loose from Mukuro's prison, a few of them headed away to survive on their own while others joined the Foundation. I only mentioned the ones connected to the survivors, all who have new backstories to go along with the talentswaps, but the others are all still fine and alive as well including Touko's stinkbug, and Taeko's goldfish, Grand Bois Chéri Ludenberg._

 _Ruruka Ando_

 _The Ultimate Pharmacist who is still a jerk, even if she remains friends with Seiko because they were not expelled from Hope's Peak Academy. However, unlike canon, she actually likes the Future Foundation and does not want to betray them, as they are her family. She is the boyfriend of Sonosuke Izayoi, whom she actually wants to marry soon._

 _Sonosuke Izayoi_

 _The Ultimate Boxer and Ruruka's boyfriend, whom he wants to marry soon, as he has bought a ring for her. His personality is the same in canon, and he still loves sweets, which makes Ruruka a bit jealous as he gets them from Miaya, as Ruruka is a terrible baker, unless it's for actual science. He also has super strength and is more muscular than in canon. He is good friends to Yamada and his sister as well._

 _Seiko Kimura_

 _A nervous girl with OCD-like tendencies towards cleaning, that gave her the title of Ultimate Housekeeper. Her personality is the same as canon, though she is still childhood friends with Ruruka, and loves her very much. When she sees something 'dirty', she flies into a rage, that makes her similar to her hulked-out self that appears in the original anime._

 _Miaya Gekkogahara_

 _Still the same as in canon, except she bakes sweets now, making her the Ultimate Confectioner instead. She did not make Usami in this universe, and it was given to her by Chisa, who she has a bit of hero-worship for because she wanted to be a therapist before she became mute, due to a horrific accident which traumatised her permanently and removed her ability to walk._

 _Koichi Kizakura_

 _Exactly the same as canon, and a close friend of Kyoko Kirigiri, keeping his promise to Jin. Nothing else to say here._

 _Ryota Mitarai_

 _The Ultimate Imposter, who is basically the canon imposter in Ryota's skin, being thin and quite handsome. His personality is the same as canon, though he is happier since Chisa and Tengan are not Despairs, and Chiaki is very much alive._

 _Great Gozu_

 _He's an Ultimate Blacksmith now, which is pretty cool. He is the same as canon in regards to personality, though he likes to tease Ruruka often as he considers her his little sister._

 _Daisuke Bandai_

 _Despite being the Ultimate Wrestler and Yamada's friend, he is still a gentle and kind man with a funny voice. He likes to talk in wrestling related puns as well, as opposed to the weird sayings he has in normal canon._

 _Kazuo Tengan_

 _Like Koichi, nothing has changed for Tengan here, except that he is not a mole for Despair, thus eliminating the Killing Game from happening._

 _Misaki Asano_

 _The Killer Killer of this universe, who acts a bit more skittish and nervous than in canon, even if she keeps the same optimistic attitude. After Mukuro Ikubusa broke into her school and murdered everyone, she went insane and started hunting down other serial killers, before she was caught and sent to jail by a sympathetic Aoi Asahina. After the Tragedy, she broke out of prison and continued her work before the Foundation captured her and made her work for them._

 _Takumi Hiijirihata_

 _The canon Killer Killer, who's just a handler for Misaki instead, as well as her romantic partner, even if she finds him scary due to his looks. Unlike canon, he doesn't hide in lockers and stuff, even if he is a bit gloomy on the inside. He doesn't admit it, but he does find Asano a bit weird and wonders why the Future Foundation has her around._


End file.
